Swanville pupils, staff ‘walk to Mexico’

SWANVILLE – A walk from Swanville to Mexico is worth celebrating, and that’s just what pupils and staff did Thursday at the Nickerson School.

As part of a project called “Take Time,” organized by SAD 34 health coordinator Linda Hartkopf and library and technology educational technician Cindy Boguen, pupils and staff collectively walked 2,266 miles since Feb. 6, the equivalent of the distance from Swanville to just over the U.S.-Mexico border.

The school marked the accomplishment Thursday with a Mexican-themed lunch and other fun activities.

Earlier in the year, Hartkopf and Boguen attended a training session at which the “Take Time” activity was explained, and both were excited about trying it at the Nickerson School.

The small school, with 80 pupils in kindergarten through grade 5 and a dozen faculty and staff, enthusiastically bought into the concept, the women said.

The goals of the program include fighting childhood obesity and promoting long-term healthful lifestyles, Hartkopf and Boguen said.

But along the way there were other benefits.

Each day at 1:45 p.m., Boguen would announce on the school’s PA system that it was time for a “brain break,” and the entire school would walk the hallway loop for about 10 minutes.

When warmer weather arrived, the walks were moved outside, around the school building.

The goal was for each pupil to cover a mile each day. Boguen said children who were seen huffing and puffing during their walks months ago are now striding along more easily. There were also conversations about healthful foods.

Teachers reported that pupils were noticeably invigorated and more engaged after the daily activity, making afternoon work more rewarding, the women said.

“They were more ready to learn and focus,” Hartkopf said.

Fifth-graders were given pedometers, and that encouraged some of them to walk with their parents at home after school.

Geography and mathematics lessons were applied as the imaginary trip was traced on a map and the mileage was calculated.

When spirits might have begun flagging, as the group reached Memphis, Tenn., gym teacher Dana Southworth dressed up as Elvis and gyrated his hips for the school to introduce a bit of levity to the journey.

As Memorial Day approached, Hartkopf and Boguen worried that the goal of walking 2,225 miles – enough to reach the border south of San Antonio – would not be met. To their surprise, some of the pupils volunteered to walk additional miles during their recess.

The walkers exceeded their goal.

Some bigger schools in Maine walked the equivalent of the distance to Hawaii, and next year, Hartkopf and Boguen want to try that – and then celebrate with a luau.