Apr 10, 2006 By Joyce Koballa 3 min read

PERRYOPOLIS – Elementary students in the Frazier School District are preparing letters to send to people from as far as Canada and Great Britain that found one of 300 black and gold balloons they released in February. While some people called in their findings, Principal Ken Meadows said others responded by mail, including one letter written in French that had to be translated by the high school foreign language teacher.

Meadows said the students released the balloons the Friday of the Super Bowl as a means to cheer the Pittsburgh Steelers to victory.

The balloons were purchased and tagged by members of the PTO at Central and Perry elementary schools with the students’ names, the school address and phone number along with the phrase, “Go Steelers!”

As some students watched their balloons take a turn for some neighboring trees, others made their way through the air with the first one reported to land in Boston, Mass., in less than 24 hours and another found the next day at 11 a.m. along Prince Edward Island located off the coast of New Finland.

Every week since then, the secretary at Perry Elementary said she’s received telephone calls each with a different story to tell about the balloon’s destination, including near a lighthouse on Prince Edward Island in Canada, with a photo provided, and along a walking trail in Great Britain.

“It opened up so many lessons now that we can integrate it across the curriculum” said Meadows.

Meadows said he was skeptical at first about how far the balloons would travel because of the weather. “It had just stopped raining and I remember the weather man from Channel 4 saying there was a vigorous cold front coming in,” added Meadows.

Donna Wassilchak, a first-grade teacher at Perry Elementary, said she came up with the idea to release the balloons from a similar activity she participated in as an elementary student.

“I figured it was a good way to support the Steelers and use it in the curriculum,” said Wassilchak.

A balloon from one of her students, Charlotte Anderkovitch, was reported found in the backyard of a boy from Sunberry, about two hours north of Harrisburg.

“I was very excited that somebody called and said they found my balloon,” said Meghan McWilliams, whose was found on Prince Edward Island.

To celebrate the Pittsburgh Steerlers’ Super Bowl win and the success of the balloons, the Perry PTO decorated a bulletin board outside the library with a giant map of the United States and surrounding countries using pushpins to mark where the balloons have since been found.

“Everyone’s amazed at the distances,” said Lisa Lyons of the Perry PTO.

While the majority of balloons have turned up on beaches, Meadows said he hopes the school will receive more phone calls of other findings now that spring is here.

So far, balloons have been recovered in Pennsylvania in Kunkletown, Beaver Springs, Bellsville, Petersburg, Danville on the Susquehanna River, Northumberland, Milroy, Catawissa and Sunbury.

Also, Wayland and Boston, Mass., Airmont, N.Y., Cape Breton, Madeleine Islands, Quebec, Canada, New Brunswick, Canada, Saltsburg, Maine and Bristol, Maine.

“It’s been a conversation piece,” said Meadows.