Dewitt Middle School 8th‑grader Anna Kucher definitely held the advantage Friday in the fourth‑annual “Amazing TCAT Race,” a scavenger hunt competition in which six teams of 36 students honed their skills in navigating the TCAT bus system.

“I have ridden the TCAT buses a lot and I know the routes and the times,” said Anna, 14, who has become a TCAT veteran over the past few years. “I use it to go to the library or to go get food. I also show my friends how to use the bus.”

With Anna’s guidance, her team won the race scoring the highest with 9,200 points in the hunt that spanned 13 stops to include: Tompkins County Public Library; Pizza Aroma; Ithaca City Hall; Alphabet Soup; Buffalo Street Books; Starbucks; Autumn Leaves Used Books; the State Theatre; Collegetown Bagels; and the Johnson Museum of Art. At each stop they had to collect an item, such as a package of space cards from Cornell’s Space Science Building or gather information, such as how many steps does it take to get to the library at Cornell’s Vet School.

The event, organized Dewitt math and computer science teacher Lee Kaltman, is part of Dewitt’s Focus Day. Focus day is an annual school event in which students, staff and community representatives participate in activities that promote a sense of community and wellness.

Kaltman said he believes that the TCAT race not only teaches students about camaraderie, but about the many benefits of public transportation. “TCAT is a resource we have in Ithaca and it is a great resource that they should use” said Kaltman, who gave the students rousing pep talks before and after the event.

Before catching either the Route 31 or Route 32 bus near their school Friday morning, students and their teacher/chaperones met with TCAT staff who gave students some tips on riding the bus and provided the students with schedules and one‑day Tcards (which they can recharge for later use).

This year, Kaltman added another component to the race by challenging each team to have at least one one team member using a crutch to demonstrate the need to work with persons with disabilities or injuries that may slow them down. “This is just to make sure that we all work together,” Kaltman told the students. “There are people who need to take more time to get to places.”

All the teams had to be back on campus by 2:30 p.m. sharp after which time points were tallied.  The winning six-member team, chaperoned by Dan McGrath, Dewitt math teacher, also included middle school students Gabriel Falk, Mourin Jarin, Amanda Pfaff and Eunice Chen and Lindsey Yuan.


“We were lucky to have a student who frequently uses the bus,’’ McGrath said of veteran TCAT bus rider Anna, who was able to coach her team mates on reading the schedules and discerning bus routes.

McGrath said the race teaches students about how public transportation can allow them to enjoy and learn about the many aspects and the cultural offerings of their community. “It was fabulous and a great experience,” he said, noting that TCAT bus operators were especially helpful in assisting his team with maps and directions.

TCAT staff, including Nancy Oltz, TCAT’s operations manager, and Stuart Douglas, TCAT transit supervisor, were there to greet the students upon their return and to award the jubilant winners with TCAT summer youth passes (each a $50 value) that will enable them to use the bus all summer.

Though not all students could be top winners, they all were quite happy to participate in the race.

“Today was my first day on the bus,” said 11‑year‑old Heridania Abreau, a sixth grader, who recently moved to the Ithaca community. “I am going to use it to go to the mall.”

The Amazing TCAT Race is the brainchild of former Dewitt Principal Ron Acerra, who came up with the idea more than four years ago when fuel prices were edging upward. He said he was worried about sustainability in general. “We understand mass transit is the answer, but we never taught our students how to use the bus system,” Acerra said in an interview last year.

Dewitt Principal Mac Knight, who stopped by to congratulate the winner team, also said that it is important that students and their families learn that there are transportation alternatives that are more environmentally friendly and affordable, particularly in the wake of high gas prices.  He also noted that public transportation has many social benefits by giving passengers a chance to meet people they would otherwise not get to know and to forge friendships. “It’s a great way to meet other people and bring the community together,” Knight said.

TCAT General Manager Joe Turcotte applauded Dewitt for making the race an annual event. “More so than ever, it is important to teach young people about the benefits, safety and ease of using the bus so that they will use it with confidence in the future,” Turcotte said. “We thank Dewitt for being forward thinking and for teaching students important life skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.”

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