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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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We
established
guidelines for the
curriculum and were very encouraged by the feedback we
received.
Notes
of encouragement were submitted weekly from people across
the United States. The Run/Walk Across America trek was
organized by Paul and Vicki Staso. Vicki is the physical education teacher at Russell
Elementary and Paul, who previously was a 5th grade teacher, works in web
site development. Both have extensive athletic and coaching backgrounds.
If either class (or both) were to be successful, then Paul 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.
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 "While
working on this curriculum I was very excited about the opportunity that
the 4th and 5th graders would have
to encourage one another across the United States! I wanted them to see that
goals are reached one step at a time, whether you walk or run, and that in
working together great things are achieved. Each student contributed to
the overall goal! I hope that they learned the value of fitness and
that they'll make
decisions for a lifetime of fitness."
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Mrs. Vicki Staso - P.E. Teacher at Russell Elementary School |
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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