Wasatch Students are Going for the Gold

February 12th, 2018 /
Shauna Sprunger /
Elementary School, News, Wasatch

The Olympics aren’t just happening in PyeongChang, South Korea. They are happening in Mrs. Whatcott’s fourth grade classroom as well.

Christine Whatcott decided to take advantage of the excitement of the Olympics to help motivate and challenge her students this month. She started off the month’s activities by having the students participate in their own opening ceremonies and torch relay throughout the school.They learned all about the torch ceremony and even had Ingrid Sorensen, who was a torch relay runner in the 2002 Olympics and parent of one of the students, come to class to share her experience.

As part of the month-long challenge, students were sent home with an “Olympic Challenge” paper, which lists different tasks that students can do to earn medals. Some of these include completing service during the school day, having perfect attendance, improving their reading fluency, turning in their homework on time and many more. Students can also win “Championship Challenges” by being the top 3 students in different areas such as keyboarding, completing weekly good deeds, the spelling bee, being the fastest to complete a multiplication chart and winning table team points.

Before the Olympics began, students researched the different countries that were participating in the Olympics and then each table chose a country to represent. As the Olympics continues on, each table is keeping track of their country’s progress in the Olympics and the table earns extra points for each medal won by their chosen country.

Through initiating this month-long challenge, Mrs. Whatcott is encouraging her students to be as victorious as they complete challenges that will help them to establish lifelong academic success.

class lines up for torch run