Jocelyn Kawa, a third-grade teacher at Jennie P. Stewart Elementary, had to eat her words Monday morning.
When students released anti-drug messages attached to red helium-filled balloons Thursday, students wondered if some might reach Canada. Kawa said she told students she doubted it would happen, but somehow it did."The minute you say something like that you know it is going to happen," Kawa said, smiling.
A scrap of paper that said, "I am drug free and proud to be," attached to remnants of a balloon put aloft by Kawa's student Adam Knox, 8, of Centerville, were discovered by Ray Dee 40 miles north of Thunder Bay, Ontario, on Saturday while he was hiking in a wilderness area. The area lies approximately 1,200 miles northeast of the Salt Lake area.
Dee, a program director on FM radio station CKPR, gave the message to his station's news department. Monday morning reporters made calls to the school, listed on the note with Adam's name, and also called PTA president Marsha Brenchly.
With comments from Brenchly, newscasts on the adult-contemporary format station began telling about the balloon message from Utah to the area just over the U.S. border on Lake Superior, said reporter Craig Wallebeck.
The story was picked up by Canadian national news services, he said.
Principal Jay Tolman said Adam's balloon was one of 720 released as part of the school's "Red Ribbon Week," part of a statewide anti-drug and anti-alcohol campaign.
"It's awesome that it went 1,200 miles," said Adam, who was nonplussed by all of the attention.
Tolman said only about 48 hours elapsed between the time the balloon was launched on Thursday at 3 p.m. and found on Saturday.
Kawa, who said her class of 28 had a geography lesson about Ontario Monday, said she thought it was wonderful that the balloon was found.
"I think it is good for kids at this age, before it is a problem, to do something like this," she said.