JACKSON STUDENTS MARK MISSOURI DAY

JACKSON -- Fourth grade students at Jackson's West Lane Elementary School took a walk through Missouri Wednesday, and met such famous people as Walter Cronkite, Gen. John J. Pershing, Walt Disney, Mark Twain and Harry Truman.

Along they way, they also learned about the state in which they live, including its heritage and history, past and present.

It was all a part of the school's observance of Missouri Day.

On March 22, 1915, the General Assembly set aside the third Wednesday in October each year as "Missouri Day," a time for schools to honor the state learn about achievements of Missourians.

Carole Baugh, fourth-grade teacher at West Lane and coordinator for the Missouri Day program said the purpose of the West Lane School Missouri Day is to give the students a "hands-on" learning environment.

Said Baugh: "Kids today have no idea that such people as Walter Cronkite, Walt Disney, and Gen. John J. Pershing, and Mark Twain are native Missourians. They recognize the names, but do not realize they are from Missouri."

During the day, all classroom routine was pushed aside. The day started with entire fourth grade attending a 30-minute presentation by Ann Rankin Taylor, a conservation education consultant with the Missouri Department of Conservation. She talked about animals that are native to Missouri.

Next, Rep. David Schwab spoke to students about Missouri government and the state capital.

Later in the morning, the students split into smaller groups for 15 minute programs on a wide range of subjects, all of them dealing with Missouri.

After lunch, the students went to school's multi-purpose room that had been transformed into a montage of displays and activities, each one featuring something about the eight regions of Missouri.

Baugh said the afternoon session was supposed to have been held on the school's playground which is painted with the state of Missouri and its eight regions. But Mother Nature threatened, and the afternoon session was moved indoors.

As they entered the multi-purpose room, the students walked over a footprint time line. It began in 1600 with the Osage Indians living in the St. Louis area and ended in 1993, with the opening of the rapid transit, light rail system in the metro St. Louis area. Along the way, other footsteps were printed with important events in Missouri history.

In the Southeast Missouri region, Gary Gilbert of Cape Girardeau portrayed a Civil War soldier in full battle dress uniform. Gilbert played his flute, demonstrated his musket, and talked about the life of a soldier.

Phil Nash of Jackson explained the life of an 18th century hunter and fur trapper. Of course, Nash was dressed in buckskin and fur typical of an early 18th century Missourian living in the wilderness.

In the northeast region, students dressed as Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher, Huckleberry Finn and Jim talked about how they were brought to life by Missouri's well known author, Mark Twain of Hannibal.

In the northwest region, students dressed as pony express riders and Jesse James told of the part each played in Missouri history.

In the Kansas City region, a display explained the Oregon Trail, which began in western Missouri. "If the weather had allowed to hold our afternoon program outdoors, we had planned to barbecue Kansas City strip steaks and serve them to the students," said Baugh. Instead, they settled for barbecue beef served on a bun.

Other stops included a replica of the Lake of the Ozarks, and a large scale model of the Bollinger Mill Bridge.

This is the second year the fourth grade has put on the special Missouri Day activity at West Lane. Baugh hopes it will become an annual event.

She said, "The kids absolutely love it. They're excited about it. I've talked to their parents, and they get excited about it because their kids come home and tell them what they are doing to prepare for Missouri Day, and what's going to happen. I have kids that are now in fifth grade who still talk to me about what they did on Missouri Day last year."

Baugh said the special activities and displays enable the students to have fun, yet learn at the same time.

"At the time, they do not realize how much they are actually learning about Missouri because they are having too much fun. It's a bit out of the ho-ho-ho, hum-drum of sitting in a classroom and reading all of this out of text book and then discussing it," she said.