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CLICK TO READ ABOUT THE 5TH GRADE'S FINISH IN 2006!

CLICK TO READ ABOUT THE 4TH GRADE'S FINISH IN 2006!


Keeping His Promise, In 2006,
Paul  Staso Ran Their U.S.A. Route
For Real. Click Here To Visit
The P.A.C.E. Run 2006 Web Site!

This web site supports a 4th and 5th grade physical education curriculum at Russell Elementary School in Missoula, Montana that was done during the 2005-2006 school year. The virtual 3,200-mile  Run/ Walk Across America challenge, from Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon to Cape Henlopen at Lewes, Delaware, was solely designed to promote physical activity as a way of life and to encourage the school's students to be more conscious of their health and nutrition. Fitness statistics indicate that these are lessons that need to be learned and adopted at a young age in order for children to have a solid foundation for maintaining fitness as a regular part of their daily routine as they mature and grow.

During the 39 weeks of the 2005-2006 school year the 4th and 5th grade students of Russell Elementary ran and walked each week to see if either class (or both, but not combined) could accumulate enough miles in the P.E. program to virtually cross the United States on a predetermined 3,200-mile route. The 4th grade class consisted of 56 students and the 5th grade class had 41 students. To successfully accomplish the trek, each 4th grader needed to run/walk an average of 1½ miles per week throughout the school year (from September 7, 2005 through June 9, 2006) and each 5th grader had to average 2 miles per week. The primary purpose of the curriculum was not "competition".
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Guidelines for the curriculum were established. Notes of encouragement were submitted weekly to the students from people across the United States. If either class (or both) were to be successful, then Paul Staso promised that he would actually attempt to run across America on the same route during the summer of 2006. We invite you to take a moment to learn more about Paul's successful P.A.C.E. Run.

The 3,200-mile route crossed 15 states, including: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware (including Washington D.C.). This virtual run/walk across America passed through the students' hometown of Missoula, Montana, and they learned various details about each state while on their trek. The route extended from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean and included: the Cascade Mountain Range; the Northern Rocky Mountains; the Great Plains; the Central Lowlands; and, the Appalachian Mountains. The course encountered such significant rivers, such as the Columbia, Yellowstone, Missouri, Mississippi, Illinois, Wabash, Ohio, and Susquehanna. The run/walk across America stayed on roads and secondary highways that allow for pedestrian traffic.

This web site will remain on the Internet as a model for other teachers to use for planning and implementing a virtual trek curriculum. Thank you for visiting!

Click Here To Read Notes Of Encouragement Received From City, State and U.S. Government Officials!
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