Vail Students Kick-Off a "Discover America" Tour with a Visit from Driver Dave

VAIL, Ariz. (11-11-2007) – On Thursday, Oct. 25, students at Ocotillo Ridge Elementary School in Vail began a year-long “journey” across America without ever leaving their classrooms. “Driver Dave” from Horizon Moving Systems, an agent for United Van Lines, visited their school and offered a tour of his moving van to kick off the students’ participation in the Discover America program.

Brought to schools by United Van Lines, the Discover America program offers thousands of students a unique and fun way to learn geography, math, writing and history. Through the program, students are introduced to national landmarks by a truck-driving pen pal who asks them to calculate real-life situations such as mileage, travel time and fuel usage and tests their knowledge of national landmarks, rivers and states.

The Discover America program is free, and the curriculum covers the school year from the fall to spring. Annually, more than 10,000 students around the country take this guided tour of the United States – from their local classrooms. The program is designed for fourth and fifth grade students. About 120 fifth-grade students at Ocotillo Ridge Elementary will be participating this year, according to Justin Chesebrough, the school principal.

“It’s a great program that helps our students see real-life applications to the things they are studying,” said Chesebrough. “We’re excited to have Horizon bring it to our school.”

Bruce Dusenberry, owner and president of Horizon Moving Systems, said the company has offered the program in the Scottsdale area in the past and enjoyed the students’ enthusiasm. “It is a great way to use our business to make an impact on the young people in our community,” he said.

The Discover America program kicks off at the beginning of the school year with a truck driver, known to students as Driver Dave, visiting classrooms around the country and giving a firsthand tour of a moving van. From October through the end of the school year, students receive personal letters, postcards, souvenirs and other mementos from the road that showcase Driver Dave’s stops. Students can also follow Driver Dave’s travels on his Web site, http://www.unitedvanlines.com/uvl/driverdave/.

“We are proud to offer an educational program that is as comprehensive, realistic and fun as Discover America,” said Linda Nosko, Discover America program coordinator. “Many agents have been sponsoring local classrooms for years and have found that teachers make it a practice to incorporate Discover America into their curriculums. We work closely with teachers to ensure that the materials in the Discover America program match up with their educational goals.”



About Horizon Moving Systems

Founded in 1924 by C.R. Dusenberry, Horizon Moving Systems is still owned and managed by the Dusenberry family. The company’s corporate headquarters is in Tucson, Ariz., with additional locations in Phoenix, Sierra Vista, Flagstaff and Yuma. In addition to domestic moving services, Horizon has been moving people in the international arena for many years. More information about Horizon and its services can be found at www.horizonmoves.com.



About United Van Lines

United Van Lines, with headquarters in suburban St. Louis maintains a network of 1,000 affiliated agencies throughout the world. As the nation’s largest mover, United holds more than 30 percent of the market, which is nearly double the market share of the second largest carrier. More information about United and its services is available at www.unitedvanlines.com.