Since September 2025, Woodville Elementary School (WES) students and staff have walked every Wednesday, tracking kilometres to total the distance from the school to Italy, the country hosting the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Each weekly distance was tracked on a map and every Friday the school community received an update through the announcements, highlighting the distance travelled and where they had “arrived” along the way. Fun facts about special landmarks and local foods from that area were also shared.
Throughout their journey to “the big goal”, students and staff travelled through five Canadian provinces, 16 countries, and crossed more than five large bodies of water. After tracking kilometres from Walking Wednesdays, and any distances travelled by school teams for extracurricular activities, the total kilometres reached was 14,330!
“Students loved learning about each new stop and celebrating our progress together,” said WES educational assistant, Jennifer Barton. “This truly was a school-wide effort. The enthusiasm, endurance, and determination shown by our students was incredible, and it was amazing to see everyone working together to finally reach Milan, Italy. It’s an experience we won’t soon forget!”
To celebrate this accomplishment, students and staff walked their final steps on February 6 through the Woodville community, finishing with an Olympic flag raising ceremony.
