Monarch Lady

Monarch Lady

Nine years ago (2000) I was granted an educational sabbatical from my teaching job with Reynoldsburg City Schools in Reynoldsburg, Ohio to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail (2,167 miles - Georgia to Maine), a goal of mine since I was a young child.  At that time I was a 6^th grade math and social studies teacher and incorporated the Appalachian Trail into my curriculum.  My students excitedly followed my progress on the trail through letters and a website.   Since that time my sister (who hiked the A.T. with me) and I have enjoyed presenting over 75 programs to schools, libraries, churches and retirement communities, sharing our 4 ½ month adventure on the trail.  It is always inspiring when I run into former students and they talk about the Appalachian Trail and their involvement in my hike.

So inspiring that I have the itch to hit the trail again and provide another unique learning opportunity for the students in Reynoldsburg!  This time I will be in the western portion of the United States, reporting to the students from the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), a National Scenic Trail that zigzags 2,664 miles through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington.  My independent study project  “Fit For Life- Resident Teacher on the Pacific Crest Trail” through Fresno Pacific University, Fresno, CA, was launched in May 2008 and has involved our entire student body at Herbert Mills Elementary School in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.  (See "Getting Ready" for more information on the project.)  To complete the project, I will be on educational sabbatical leave from my Reading Intervention/ Mentor Coordinator position starting April 19, 2009 (concluding early September 2009), as I attempt to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail.

 A word about my trail name “Monarch Lady”… Each fall the classes at Herbert Mills come to my room to learn about monarch butterflies and study the ones that I am raising at our school.  Each classroom adopts a monarch and participates in its release as it begins its long migratory journey to Mexico for the winter.  February 2008 I was fortunate to have an opportunity to visit the wintering colonies in Mexico on a trip sponsored by the Monarch Teacher Network.  How thrilling it was to see millions of monarchs in one place!!!!  On my return I shared this life moving experience with the entire student body and the need for us to protect the oyamel fir trees that the monarchs need to survive the winters in the Trans Volcanic range in Mexico.   Because of my love for monarch butterflies and my passion to keep them protected, the students have designated me “The Monarch Lady” at Herbert Mills. 

And so, as the monarch butterfly makes its way north from Mexico to Canada each spring (a 2000+ mile journey), Monarch Lady will be doing the same as she attempts to hike from the Mexican border to Canada on the 2,664 mile Pacific Crest Trail.  Stay tuned….                                

"I think there must be a place inside of us where dreams go and wait their turn."

                                                                              from The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd

 

 

 

 

 

 

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