To the Editor,

On Wednesday, May 24, Bill Dergosits’s and Lauren Griggs’s class of third graders joined with youth from all over the United States and 63 other countries around the world in celebrating World Orienteering Day.

As the class learned, orienteering is a sport that involves the use of a map and compass to find locations circled on the map where orange and white flags have been placed. It often has been compared to a combination of a cross-country race and a treasure hunt.

The students first broke into three groups for a map hike of a beginning orienteering course. They worked cooperatively over the one kilometer course to orient the map correctly, use the compass to determine the direction to go, and to check the codes to make sure they were at the right location.

Excitement mounted as they spotted the flag they had been looking for.

After successfully completing the course, each student had a chance to compete on a short sprint course, where they challenged each other and themselves to complete the sprint in the shortest possible time. The students waited patiently in line for their chance to go, encouraged each other as they saw their classmates coming into the finish, were enthusiastic throughout the whole event, and thanked the organizers, even without prompting, for the opportunity. What a pleasure it was to work with them!

Many thanks to Jack and Ruth Norray for again generously sharing their land for orienteering competitions and to Mr. Dergosits and Mrs. Griggs for bringing their class to this unique event.

Susan Hawkes-Teeter

Berne