07/27/2026
That's a wrap on the Iditarod EDU Summer Conference, and what a week it was.
Educators from ten states, Texas to Maine, spent four days at Poland Spring learning how to bring sled dog racing into their classrooms, guided by the Iditarod's Teachers on the Trail, a group that has spent decades proving what this sport can teach.
We were honored to be invited along, and we brought a little of Fort Kent with us: race photographs and trail maps for the walls, Gatorade at the welcome table (the same way we greet mushers into the Portage checkpoint), and a a few more mushing education items peppered throughout the event.
Our crew sure kept busy! Sarah presented on our race itself (complete with parka, beaver mitts, and a gear-check demonstration that showed just how far a gang line stretches), Dr. Nick and Kat Langlais (the first and only woman to win the Can-Am Crown 250) led back-to-back sessions, and Jonathan presented on the 2025 Centennial Serum Expedition, his team's 750-mile journey across Alaska retracing the historic Serum Run.
The week also carried on one of Iditarod Education's long standing traditions: the passing of the sleeping bag from the current Teacher on the Trail to the next. This year it passed to Tami Schoff. Congratulations, Tami. We couldn't be happier that the 2027 Teacher on the Trail knows her way around a Can-Am checkpoint.
Thank you to the Iditarod EDU board for welcoming us into this event. We're proud to stand alongside the Iditarod's education program and help carry that work forward.
PC: Iditarod EDU
