Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, October 5, 1993 TAG: 9310050024
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Joanne Anderson
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
While he moves furniture around the country, the kids will move pins around the map.
A nationwide program called "Discover America" has been developed by the Mayflower Warehousemen's Association in India- CLASSNOTES JOANNE ANDERSON napolis to enable students to learn more about other places by connecting with a Mayflower driver.
Driver Bob is really Hunter Clayton, an owner-operator for Blacksburg- Mayflower.
He took his 18-wheeler to the school recently and met with 65 fifth-grade pupils and their teachers, Mickey McGuigan, Barbara Crockett and Pat Agnew.
The kids toured the truck, received pins, key chains and toy vans and chatted with Driver Bob and Page Warner, the sales manager for Blacksburg-Mayflower.
Over the next eight months, the children will receive packets from different parts of the country with brochures, historical information, post cards and even quizzes from the driver.
He might tell them how many miles he traveled on how many gallons of gas and let them figure the miles per gallon, for example.
Sometimes they will get a post card from an undisclosed place.
By providing certain clues, the driver will challenge the classes to figure out his location.
Driver Bob's rig is a Volvo White, and two fifth-graders, Brandon White and Matt Price, have fathers who work at the Volvo White plant in Dublin. They were especially delighted to think their dads helped build Bob's truck.
Warner said the program is "bringing geography to life in a very practical way. And it gives teachers an exciting tool to supplement their lesson plans."
The CHRISTIANSBURG HIGH SCHOOL HOMECOMING PARADE is tonight at 7 in downtown Christiansburg.
The parade will start in front of the middle school, go to Arby's, down Main Street and end at Hardee's.
The homecoming game is Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Carroll County.
\ The MONTGOMERY COUNTY COUNCIL OF PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATIONS will meet Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Falling Branch Elementary School cafeteria.
Larry Schoff, county director of maintenance and transportation, will speak on problems in school facilities.
\ "TEACHERS, PARENTS AND CHILDREN MAKING CONNECTIONS" is the theme of the fourth miniconference of the New River Valley Association for the Education of Young Children at Blacksburg High School on Saturday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
It is open to parents, teachers, administrators and teacher aides.
Cost is $10 for association members and $15 for non-members.
To register or for more information, call Ken Williams at 951-3636 or Linda Claussen at 674-3600.
\ It's not too early to think about science fair projects:
A letter from Donald Linzey at Wytheville Community College invites teachers interested in sponsoring a student in the BLUE RIDGE HIGHLANDS REGIONAL SCIENCE FAIR to contact him.
Parents who want their child to participate should contact the child's science teacher.
In the Junior Division, seventh- and eighth-graders compete in physical and biological sciences. The Senior Division, grades 9-12, has 13 categories, including microbiology, chemistry, computer science and zoology.
The fair, scheduled for April 8-9, is co-sponsored by Wytheville and New River community colleges. Linzey can be reached at (703) 228-5541.
\ JIM TRELEASE, author of "The New Read-Aloud Handbook" and an anthology of children's stories called "Hey! Listen to This," will speak on Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. in the Christiansburg High School auditorium.
His topic will be "Reading Aloud: Motivating Children to Make Books into Friends, Not Enemies."
The program is sponsored by Montgomery County Public Schools Chapter I Program, Radford University College of Education and Human Development and the New River Valley Reading Council.
A book fair and refreshments will be presented after the program. Child care will be available.
For more information, call 382-5123.
\ The initial subject of moving vans brings up moving and my moving from this desk and this column now that MELISSA DeVAUGHN has returned from her Appalachian Trail hike.
She will resume writing Classnotes - along with honor rolls, menus and other school-related information - next week.
I'm going on vacation to Scotland and will return to the newspaper late in October to new responsibilities.
\ Joanne Anderson has been filling in for Melissa DeVaughn while Melissa hiked the Appalachian Trail. If you have an interesting news item from your school, write to the New River Current in care of the Roanoke Times & World-News' New River Valley Bureau, P.O. Box 540, Christiansburg, Va. 24073.
by CNB