 
Welcome back from vacation! The students have been on
Christmas vacation since December 21st and returned to
school on Wednesday of this week, January 2nd.
While the students were away from school on vacation, they
were given the opportunity to keep track of miles that they
ran/walked. This week they turned into Mrs. Staso their
mileage sheets, signed by a parent or guardian, and we added
everything up. All combined, the 4th graders ran/walked a
total of 241½
miles during the vacation, and the 5th graders ran/walked a
total of 147 miles. We then added on the mileage that both
classes accumulated during their one P.E. class this week.
The 4th graders added another 25 miles and the 5th graders
added 34½
miles. I know what you're thinking... enough with the
numbers! I'm getting a headache!! Well, let's simplify this
a bit so that you have a better idea as to where things
currently stand.
Right now the 4th grade students are 144 miles ahead of the
5th graders. When Christmas vacation started the 4th graders
were only leading the 5th graders by 59 miles. So, the 4th
grade class has now more than doubled that lead. Does that
mean that the 5th grade students are likely to finish this
virtual journey behind the 4th graders? Not at all! However,
it does mean that the 5th grade runners and walkers are
going to have to work harder to chip away at the lead that
the 4th grade has managed to create if they want to beat
them to the finish line in Santa Monica, California. It will
be interesting to see which grade gets their first. As you
likely remember from the 2005-2006 virtual
run/walk across
America, the 5th grade class finished ahead of the 4th grade
class. The lead changed many times during the school year,
and that could happen again this year. The students have
completed 4 months of school and have 5 months left to
complete this 2,278-mile trek, and the 4th graders are only
69 miles from the halfway point! YAHOO!
Now, let's get down to where the classes actually are right
now. The BIG news is that the 4th graders are currently in
the state of
Texas! They completed Oklahoma during the
Christmas vacation. Way to go 4th graders! To be specific,
they are in the very tiny Texas town called Conway. This
town on Route 66 is home to the "VW Bug Ranch" - which is a
place where five Volkswagen Bugs (cars) are buried nose down
in the ground, similar to
Cadillac Ranch
in Texas. Conway is one of those towns that slowly
disappeared after the Interstate system was created. People
started to travel on the Interstate and never even saw the
town of Conway on the nearby Route 66. Eventually,
businesses closed down in Conway and people moved away.
Currently, there are less than 20 people living in Conway
and aside from the VW Bug Ranch and a local trading post
featuring live rattlesnakes, there's not much there but old
abandoned buildings. The 4th graders are only 22 miles away
from Amarillo, Texas - which is a city of about 185,000
people. So, they'll be in a heavily populated area soon!
The 5th grade students are in the state of
Oklahoma.
They are in another tiny town called Foss. This town has
about 120 residents. On May 2, 1902 Foss was hit by a flash
flood from an unusually heavy rainfall which pretty much
wiped out the town - washing buildings away and killing many
people. Today, Foss is but a reminder of its former past.
The ruins of Kobel’s Gas Station, which also served as a
cafe and bus station, still remain. An 1894 church building
and a pioneer jail are also left standing. But of the rest
of the town, there are only foundations, where buildings
once stood and vacant sidewalks, lining ghostly blocks that
will never be used again. Foss is now designated an Official
Oklahoma Ghost Town. Oddly, despite the designation, there
are a few houses nearby.
Next week Mr. Staso will be visiting both classes during
P.E.
to share some information about an actual footrace along
Route 66 that took place in 1928. Since the 5th graders are
still in Oklahoma, it will be good for them to hear the
story of Andy Payne, a famous runner from Oklahoma whose
name will always be connected to the historic Route 66. The
kids are virtually running and walking a route that was
actually raced 80 years ago!
Encouraging notes are something that are truly wonderful to
receive and we hope that you'll take a moment to
click here and encourage the
kids. Both grades are doing great and
we're excited to watch their progress throughout the
remainder of the school year.
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Journal Entry > >
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5th Grade (39 students):
They added 181½
miles since December 21. Their total
is 926 miles. They have 1,352 miles
left and are 41% done with the trek.
