By Ashley McCleery

The North Jefferson News



A student from Paige Fitzgerald’s second grade class of Mt. Olive Elementary recently journeyed across 14 states, traveling not by plane, train or automobile- but by purse.

With a paper body, Flat Stanley can easily travel the world whether in an envelope, backpack or purse. Since he is a world traveler, Fitzgerald is one of many teachers around the country utilizing the fictitious character from Jeff Brown’s book, Flat Stanley.

In this book, Stanley Lambchop wakes up to discover a bulletin board had fallen on him during the night, making him only half an inch thick- hence the name Flat Stanley.

After reading this book to their students, many teachers have adopted the Flat Stanley Project, allowing the kids to make paper Flat Stanleys and a journal. Then, the students send Flat Stanley and his journal to other schools or with friends and family that are traveling to different states or countries.

“It’s a great program,” Fitzgerald said. “It gets them excited about social studies and the world around them and increases their map skills.”

Upon Flat Stanley’s return back to their classroom, Fitzgerald places a thumbtack in the areas he’s been and attaches yarn to it to indicate his next destination. So far, the Flat Stanleys from Fitzgerald’s class have traveled to 20 different locations including Scotland, Nicaragua and the Czech Republic.

However, he’s also seen 14 states in less than two weeks. When Fitzgerald heard Tyler Franks’ grandparents, John and Sandra Duncan, where going on a trip out west, she scheduled Flat Stanley to tag along.

“They were studying geography, and the teacher asked me if we would take him with us out west. That’s how we got to know him [Flat Stanley],” Sandra said.

From Mt. Olive, Flat Stanley traveled with the Duncan’s to St. Louis to see the famous Arch onward across Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska to tour the Kreycik Riverview Elk and Buffalo Ranch.

At each location, Sandra took a picture of Flat Stanley and sent a postcard to the class, detailing Flat Stanley’s experiences. “The teacher said the kids were real excited everyday they received a postcard because they wanted to hear about where we were,” Sandra said. “It really made their lesson in geography more interesting.”

Continuing northward, Flat Stanley visited South Dakota in which he explored Badlands National Park, Custer State Park and Iron Mountain Road, the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore National Memorial, Crazy Horse carving, Needles Highway and Corn Palace.

Although many people recognized him along the way, Sandra said the funniest experience was with the mascot of Corn Palace. “The mascot was an ear of corn, and she looked at him and said, ‘Oh, Flat Stanley. I know all about him.’ And, then we got our picture made with the ear of corn.”

Next, Flat Stanley traveled to Montana to see the site of Little Bighorn and Yellowstone National Park and onto Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

And Sandra said she did not mind a tag along. “It was exciting for us to be a part of their learning process, and it added more to our trip.”

Not only did Flat Stanley add to the Duncan’s trip, but he also added excitement to geography class. “When they get word that Flat Stanley is on the way back, they keep asking, ‘Mrs. Fitzgerald has my Flat Stanley come yet?’ I just love seeing their excitement on their faces,” Fitzgerald said.