Route 66 Challenge...

The Route 66 Challenge curriculum was developed by Paul Staso during the summer of 2007 and implemented at Russell Elementary in Missoula, Montana during the 2007-2008 school year. Paul's wife, Vicki, is the P.E. teacher at Russell Elementary and together they encouraged the 4th and 5th grade students to virtually trek the 2,278 miles during the school year.

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Historically, Route 66, better known as "The Main Street of America," offered those in the Midwest a chance at new life in sunny California and brought soldiers home from war. Most of all, it brought families out on the road to travel through the United States.

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Also known as "The Mother Road", Route 66 passes through eight states. The route begins in Chicago, Illinois and winds its way to Santa Monica, California (near Los Angeles). In all, it reaches across 2,278 miles and crosses 3 time zones. The mileage for Route 66 in each state is as follows: California (318 miles); Arizona (388 miles); New Mexico (392 miles); Texas (189 miles); Oklahoma (376 miles); Kansas (13 miles); Missouri (313 miles); and, Illinois (289 miles).

Route 66 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? Why take time to learn about this highway that was the setting for Disney's 2006 animated movie, Cars? 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.

The Route 66 Challenge web site chronicles the journey of modern "virtual" travelers as they used Route 66 to improve health and fitness while learning about this significant part of America's history. There were 43 fourth grade students and 42 fifth graders trekking along Route 66 during the 2007-2008 school year. 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... and both classes finished the challenge before the end of the school year! The Main Street of America still exists and kids can virtually trek on it and learn some worthwhile facts about America's history along the way.

This project from the 2007-2008 school year remains online as a model for schools to use in developing their own virtual treks. Visit the Route 66 Challenge at www.pacetrek.com/kids66.

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The purpose of each virtual trek is for students to run and walk toward greater fitness while at the same time learning about the locations that they virtually travel through. It's through this combination of fitness and learning that students experience places beyond their school boundaries in a unique and challenging way. The virtual trek web sites developed by Paul and Vicki  Staso regularly acquire visitor traffic from around the world. The www.pacetrek.com/kids66 site from 2007-2008 still receives thousands of visitors each school year, and Paul and Vicki frequently receive e-mail messages from teachers asking how they can implement a similar program in their schools.