Visit To Greenfield Elementary School in Daleville, VA

Monday, March 7, 2011

I hope everyone is doing well and getting ready for warmer weather. The daffodils are just coming up around here, and buds are swelling on the trees....Spring always perks us up. The people who live around me have learned if they stop and ask questions about the walk, they'll most likely be there a while!

Last Thursday, I went to Greenfield Elementary to talk to the students about the walk. The morning was spent with Greg Bowyer, the PE teacher, and his classes. I talked to all the students in the school (I believe) with the exception of the kindergarten classes. We talked for a while, then went outside where I put up the tent, and talked about the tent and the walking cart. They thought the tent was a little small. Oh, did those students have lots of questions!

Lunch was in the school cafeteria, and then met with the third graders. Ms. Alisa Gunter and other teachers had a reception for me, including cake, chips, and juice. They also gave me some gifts....a t-shirt signed by all the 3rd graders, Sundrops, Snickers bars (what made them think I ate stuff such as that?), and other things. The cake was decorated with the slogan on my business cards. The 3rd graders have followed the entire trip, and know as much about it as I do. I had one walkingman t-shirt with me, so decided to give it to the first student who could name all the states I crossed during the walk......in the order I crossed them.

One boy raised his hand and started naming......"CA, AZ, NM, TX, LA, ??"....he couldn't finish. Another boy, Charlie Floyd, raised his hand. "CA, AZ, NM, TX, LA, MS, AL, GA, SC, NC", he said without a pause. I have to think about it, and I did the walking. Congrats to Charlie, and thanks to all the students for their encouragement and support.

I was also invited to join the Greenfield Trekkers. This is a group of students and teachers who stay after school on Tuesdays and walk for about an hour or so. Ms. Beth Umbarger, Principal of Greenfield Elementary, and her staff, place an emphasis on building a strong body as well as mind. In addition to the walking program, they also have a running program.

The walk has been in the local news in this area. The Botetourt View, an insert in the Roanoke paper that focuses on news from Botetourt County, published two articles recently. One about the walk itself, and the other about the visit to Greenfield. Cathy Beason is the reporter for the paper.

Finally, before the walk started, we had a contest for the grandchildren. They had to guess the total miles walked, with the number of days being the tiebreaker. The winners are:
1st place: Carly,
2nd place: Kevin,
3rd place: David
Each received a savings bond.

That's it for now. Next week I visit the schools in Gastonia, the Cherryville Presbyterian Church Men's Bible Class, and my friends and co-workers at Wachovia. I'm looking forward to that. But this week, it's work on the taxes! Take care.......Jeff.

About the pictures:
Some of the gifts from Greenfield Elementary,
The school,
Ms. Gunter (beside me), and a few of the 3rd graders.