 
THEY FINISHED!
ON
JUNE 9, 2008 THE FORTY-THREE 4TH GRADERS FINISHED THE ROUTE 66 CHALLENGE
FIRST! THEY VIRTUALLY RAN & WALKED 2,278 MILES FROM
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS TO LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA WITHIN 9
MONTHS. THE 5TH GRADERS FINISHED THE TREK ON JUNE 10, 2008.
CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH CLASSES!
 Click
Here to see the final music slideshow
featuring the 4th and 5th grade students! It's in Windows
Media Format (12 minutes; 30MB).
Click here to
read the journal entries!
What would it be like to run and walk the entire 2,278 miles
of historic Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles? During the
2007-2008 school year, 4th and 5th grade students at
Russell Elementary School in Missoula, Montana found
out... "virtually" that is! They experienced a 9-month virtual
trek from Illinois to California, getting physically fit
while learning about the locations and history of "The Main
Street of America" - also known as Route 66. You can check
out a
360º view
from Route 66
(Shows in QuickTime).
Route 66 was one of America’s first national
road systems and crossed eight states:
Illinois,
Missouri,
Kansas,
Oklahoma,
Texas,
New Mexico,
Arizona, and
California.
It quickly became the most famous road in
America. The road extended through many American cities and
towns, and it crossed deserts, mountains, valleys and
rivers. Unfortunately, Route 66 was removed from the U.S. Highway System in
1985
─
but
the road's history lives on!
So, why run, walk and learn about this old meandering road
and its roadside attractions? Why become familiar with facts
and trivia
about this Illinois to California route? Because it represents a time when our
country desired to come together... to create a surface that
could be traveled so that progress could be made in America
in business, industry and other important ways.
This site chronicles the journey of these modern "virtual" travelers as they used
Route 66 to improve
health and fitness while learning
about this significant part of America's history.
Pictures of the kids are in the
student photo
gallery. We've also included some virtual trek
information for
teachers.
There were 43 fourth grade students and 42 fifth graders trekking along Route 66. Each grade
was a separate
"team". They ran and walked the route while in a
friendly competition to see which grade could complete it first.
The Main Street of America still exists, and the students at
Russell Elementary in Missoula, Montana spent the 2007-2008
school year experiencing the road and its stories through
in-class lessons and this web site.
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