HURRICANE – Two Southern Utah principals are literally going the extra mile for their students: They’re planning a 3,000-mile coast-to-coast bike ride.
Hurricane High School Principal Jody Rich and Hurricane Middle School Principal Roy Hoyt said it’s been a plan for a few years, but late in 2012 they decided to make that plan a reality.
“I said, 'Hey. Lets do it,'” Hoyt said. “Then from that point in time we got the ball rolling and started making plans.”
“We got some biking maps that tour us across the country,” Rich said. “We chose the southern route because it’s the shortest. We have one month. We have to average 120 miles a day.”
Rich said the bike ride will coincide with his fiftieth birthday. But this is more than just a bucket list ride, the principals said they wanted to make it worthwhile. They're not only inspiring their students, they're raising money for their schools as well.
“We’re trying to raise $30,000,” Hoyt said. “$15,000 for each school to buy either iPads or Chromebooks. And as most people know: There’s never enough technology in schools.”
And while some think they’re crazy, they’ve got the support of the community and their students.
“I think it shows a lot how much this community cares for each other,” Hurricane High Senior Naomi Beatty said. “That our principal is willing to do this for the students and such, it means a lot.”
Hoyt and Rich will set of on their journey from San Diego on June 8 and pedal to St. Augustine, Fla. in just 30 days.
So far they’ve raised one-third of their goal. More about their epic bike ride can be found on their Facebook page.
