The Lakefront Hotel is a whirlwind of activity right now since it is the official Iditarod headquarters. I had an amazing day yesterday with the 2016 Iditarod mushers First, with the mandatory musher meeting, later with the IditaRider luncheon, and finally with the musher banquet and bib number drawing that night at the convention center. …
I have spent a great deal of time getting to know our 2016 Iditarod mushers this year. My special focus has been to share the stories of the rookie mushers, and their personal journey to the starting line. Like many teachers we have a poetry unit each year, but I wanted to find an Iditarod …
The teams got one step closer to the starting line yesterday as they completed their vet checks at Iditarod Headquarters, and of course the teachers at the conference were there for a front row seat! I had the chance to take over the Skype Club for the day while Laura was off doing her official …
Day two of the Iditarod Winter Educator’s Conference took us on our first field trip to the home of Jon and Jona Van Zyle. Jon is celebrating his 40th year creating the official Iditarod artist and poster, and he has two new books this year celebrating his art and love of the Last Great …
I think if sled dogs could talk, they would be able to teach us many things. When I was in Alaska in June for the Iditarod Teacher Summer Camp, I bought typical tourist souvenirs to bring back home to Texas. One was a simple, little magnet for my classroom that shared some homespun “advice” …
Exxon Mobil helped the Iditarod educators kick off the 2016 Winter Conference with a special event at the Hilton in downtown Anchorage Monday night. I was excited to meet up with old friends and help celebrate the Last Great Race on Earth® in the classroom. I reconnected with teachers I had met at …
One of the special benefits of the Jr. Iditarod is that the young mushers bond with each other in a unique and lasting way. In the woods at Yentna Station, after taking great care of their dogs for the night, they bonded over a campfire and shared trail stories. It was remarkable to see, …
I had a taste of the trail this weekend as I headed out on my first Cessna plane ride to Yentna Station. We camped overnight with the ten Jr. Iditarod mushers on their 150 miles quest. It was a remarkable experience to see these young people travel with their dog teams and give them such …
Iditarod headquarters was like a family reunion Friday night at the Jr. Iditarod musher’s meeting. The Jr. Iditarod began in 1978, and it is a remarkable musher mentor program. Students 14 to 17 years old are competing this year in the 150-mile race which builds friendship, responsibility, and integrity in the young mushers. I …
I took a trip to Palmer, Alaska today to visit the 4th grade students of Sherrod Elementary School. It has been a long-standing tradition for the Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ to visit veteran teacher, Mrs. Russell, who is an advocate of using the Iditarod theme in her classroom. The Glacier Bears were a great …
