Third-graders walk laps around the
Lincolnton campus of the Lincoln Charter School. The
students are completing laps as part of a fitness
program that calls for a simulated walk across
America. Chris Dean / LTN Photo
Lincolnton, NC ~
Students at the Lincoln
Charter School are getting in shape by walking
across the United States.
OK, not literally. The
Lincoln Charter School, which houses classes from
kindergarten through eighth grade, has measured its
grounds and created walking routes.
Older elementary and
middle school students use a long track around the
entire property. A shorter track around the
driveways is more fitting for early elementary
students and kindergartners.
As part of a campaign
for better fitness in schools, Lincoln Charter
students kicked off Walk Across America Tuesday.
They plan to walk the length of Interstate 40 from
Lincolnton to Barstow, Ca., on their measured path.
According to
administrative assistant and parent, Anita Neagle,
teachers plan to use Walk Across America throughout
their curriculum.
A map of the U.S. near
the main office traces the point on I-40 that
students have reached.
The middle school math
classes take weekly mileages from each teacher and
add them to the tally.
Neagle also says that
classes plan to make stops and “visit places” along
their walk for history and geography lessons.
“As the seasons change,
they’ll be able to talk about nature,” she adds.
This brings a scientific perspective to the wide
curriculum the fitness program already provides.
Students have been
walking outside during the late summer and early
fall days, but on cold or rainy days, they walk in
the school’s gymnasium.
PE classes will
continue as usual. Walk Across America, along with
low-fat milk and healthier school lunches, is a
supplement to the usual physical education
activities to improve students’ overall health.
Although Lincoln
Charter School is funded by the state, it is not a
part of the Lincoln County Schools. Parents can opt
to register their children in a charter school and
provide their own transportation, since charter
schools do not use school bus routes.
Neagle explains that
usually, families who are closest to the Lincolnton
or Dallas campus are the ones who register their
children. However, some students travel from
locations as distant as Mount Holly in Gaston County
and Huntersville in Mecklenburg County.
According to Neagle,
many parents especially appreciate the charter
school’s small, familial setting, as well as the
opportunity to volunteer. “We encourage them to
volunteer and be a part of their children’s
education,” she says.
Right now, the students
are (figuratively) near Gordonsville, Tenn. Since
they have already made so much progress, the school
has a plan once the students reach the western end
of I-40.
“I know you can’t walk
through the ocean,” says Neagle, “but we’re going to
keep walking even after we get to California.”
“We might even walk
around the world,” says Principal Judy Smith.
