GIVING ALL THEY'VE GOT Westover Community schooi pupils go through r routine in “Cross Canada Ran’’ which

began May 2. Runners in the program, headed by Jane Baynham [rear] have been doing so well that plans to fly
them home in a 747 have been abandoned. IG. Lam photo}.

fad for. pupils a at We estover Community School
And teachers and parents are encouraging them.

It alll began 16 days ago
when Jane Bavnham. teach-
er for Grades 2 and 3,
proposed a ‘‘Cross Canada
Run.”’ after hearing of a
similar program at a school
-in- London, Ontario. Since
then 250 North Vancouver
children from Westover's
kindergarten to Grade 7,
along with teachers - and
parents have been “puffing

. and jogging their way across.

what will be from St. John’s,

_Nfld.. to Vancouver -- a
distance of 6,509 kilomeires
or 4,068 miles.

We started in Newfound-
land because we felt it would
be more fun arriving in
Vancouver after counting up
those kilometres,"’
Baynham, whose pupils like
others at school are speaking

in terms of metres § and
kilometres instead of feet
and miles.

‘

Although the cross country .

venture is only true as far as

explains ©

the “punning goes, coordina-
tor Baynham, has managed
to generate unexpected inte-
rest. ‘‘It
enthusiasm for jogging.”
says Principal Andy Neu-
man, whose awesome 6-foot-
1-frame dwarfed about 85
ankle biters joining him in
the initial kilometre on May
2. immediately following a
public school assembly des-
cribing the run.

Apart from getting pupils
to think metric as_ their
kilometres inch toward Van-
couver, Baynham says that
the other major purposes are
to promote physical fitness in
view of reports that Cana-
dians have low physical

ability.

MINISTER’S TELEGRAM

As an incentive, Iona
Campagnola minister of state
for fitness and = amateur
Sport, sent them the follow-

to the

Country?

Let us ship your personal effects and household goods.
We have a weckly container service to the United
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Phone for rates to Le Havre, Bromerhaven; Rotterdam,

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683-1626
Cargocare

Consol

idators

has created an-

‘but you know

ing telegram when they
reached Ottawa:

**To the students, princi-
pal and staff of Westover
Community _ School. Wel-

eae Se Sk as

of state - fitness and amateur

sport it gives me extreme
pleasure to welcome. fellow
British Cotumbians and es-
pecially fit and active Cana-

-dians to our capital city. For

some of you the journey to
Ottawa has been a long one,
. how well
worthwhile it was. For those
of you who found the road an

.@asy one, perhaps we can
expect vou to come Often..."".. .

PINT-SIZE RUNNERS

the pint-size
‘who have been

To assist
antietes,

trotting during recesses both

We accept

individually and in groups.
coordinator Bayvnham has
marked off a one kilometre
track with.lime on the school
grounds.

‘She also has driven around
the Westover community,
measuring off kilometre

tracks to guide participating

parents.

For example. one track
covers the area from West-
over at 3467 Duval to Peters,
through Lynn Canyon Park,
back to Peters, Duval and to

; school.

Each morning Baynham,

and other room teachers,

asks the children for the total
kilometres run. Participating
members of the family
combine. their distances

which are recorded on a huge’

J

Use your

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1sth 15th
& MM be dd, &
Lonsdale cba yy e Lonsdale

page 11, May 18, 1977 - North Shore News °

map of Canada’s outline,

located near the school’s
entrance hall.
INTEGRATE SUBJECTS

Before things began to
look favorable Baynham had
insured that no matter how
far it was going to go she had
planned several ways of
integrating the efforts with
subjects.

The pupils were to learn
the spelling of provinces,
cities, industries, and pro-
ducts. among others. Cana-
dian folk music, related to

wee

sung in
reached

the provinces were
class. Whea_ they
Quebec, we sung
Canada”* in’ French,
adds.

iy a}
wii

she

Initially, Baynham_plan-
ned the run to officially end
in June with a celebration
marking the arrival of our
runners at Westover. But

now it looks like they'll arrive
by the end of this month with
all participants receiving a
pin of the Canadian flag. On
May 16 they were already at
the foot of the rockies. .