Students learn about trucking

— The second-grade students of Pea Ridge Primary School received a special delivery recently when Wal-Mart associate Jim Flanagan brought his Wal-Mart truck and trailer to the school giving the students a chance to see what his truck looks like from the inside and out.

Mrs. Michelle Kimble’s second-grade students are in the Wal-Mart Trucker Buddy Program, a pen pal program where the driver is matched with a class and begins a correspondence program between the driver and the students detailing each week for the classwhere he has been and they respond with letters and pictures in return.

Flanagan was matched with Mrs. Kimble’s class as his son, Jimmy, is a student of Mrs. Kimble.

The students were able to climb into the big rig and see where Mr. Flanagan sleeps and does his paperwork - basically where he lives when he is out on the road away from home. There is even a special bunk just for Jimmy when he travels with his dad, which Jimmy was proud to show off to his classmates. Jimmy served as “tour ambassador” to his fellow students, showing them all the hidden compartments- some his dad was not even aware of.

Jimmy is the son of Brenda Flanagan of Pea Ridge and Jim Flanagan of Lincoln, formerly of Pea Ridge.

School, Pages 9 on 01/05/2011