Fifth Grade Races Across Alaska
by Cindy Wurmnest
April 07, 2008
On March 19th at Olympia North, teams of huskies crossed the interior of Alaska, traveled through perilous storms, and braved a crazed angry moose to cross the finish line in Nome and collect thousands of dollars in prizes in the annual Iditawagon Sled Dog Race. Following a course set up with seven checkpoints, fifth graders in racing teams pulled supply-filled wagons around the perimeter of the school grounds simulating the real Iditarod Sled Dog Race held in Alaska each March.
The race caps off a month of learning about Alaska in every subject; from history to geography, from wildlife to national parks, from native Alaskan art to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Students prepare detailed reports about Alaskan topics and learn how to research a subject, how to take and organize notes, and how to cite sources in a bibliography.
A highlight of the month's study includes following mushers in the real Iditarod race by logging onto the internet and checking their progress twice daily. Each student is assigned a real musher to keep track of and learn about.
Many of the rules for the real race translate into rules for the Iditawagon, such as mandatory layovers and taking good care of the sled dogs. At the Mushers' Banquet after the race, prizes were awarded and great treats were served. Thanks to parents and fourth graders who ran the checkpoints, a good time was had by all! For more photos of the race, please visit the Rocke/Wurmnest web page on the Olympia website.
