“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision.” –Andrew Carnegie

As the 2019 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™, one of the most rewarding things has been being able to engage students and teachers with the Iditarod. From a teacher’s perspective, it is unbelievable to see how students truly appreciate and take interest in The Last Great Race®.

Toward the beginning of the school year, two art teachers in my school, Mrs. Pat Johansen and Mrs. Carolyn Owens, thought it would be a great idea to have students create a mural that would capture the beauty of Alaska, the Iditarod, and honor my role as the Teacher on the Trail™. Nothing like this has ever before been done at our school. After some logistical planning and approval, the question then centered on whether or not students would volunteer to work on this project on numerous occasions after school; after the first school-wide announcement about the Alaskan mural opportunity, it was evident that plenty of students wanted to create this mural.

Mrs. Johansen and Mrs. Owens came up with a great procedural plan:

1. Select a spot where the mural should go (the spot for this project was near our main office and school entrance)
2. Gather the students together, who plan to contribute this project, and develop a plan
3. Come up with a theme (Iditarod and Alaska)
4. Generate a list of symbols, colors, and images that relate to the theme
5. After carefully deciding upon the things that should be included, come up with an idea about where each symbol should be placed
6. Draw the images on transparency paper so that they can be projected onto the wall 
7. Project each image on the wall and use a pencil to trace it onto the surface
8. Select colors and paint each image accordingly

As work on the mural progressed, it was awesome being able to see students, teachers and visitors stop to admire the work-in-progress. Mrs. Johansen and Mrs. Owens commented upon the notion that this is a valuable project because students have the primary voice, are integral in the decision-making process, and are able to exhibit their creativity. After several months of after-school work, this collaborative project was completed, and it came out unbelievable! 

beautiful mural created by students who worked together with a common vision

mural painters being recognized for their hard work and talent

It is humbling to know that I have a school community who is so incredibly supportive of me and my experience as the Teacher on the Trail™. The Iditarod has helped to strengthen my school community and bring people together. While I spend the next several weeks in Alaska, I will miss seeing the students and teachers in my school; however, I know that they’ll be cheering me on and following my journey as I make my way toward Nome, Alaska.