Mr. Soto's Field Day

It is that time of year for the annual Mr. Soto Elk Mountain Elementary (EMES) and Medicine Bow Elementary School (MBES) Field Day.

On Friday, after the "Big Boy" train stopped at Medicine Bow for the students to see, the "Soto Field Day" started once the kids finished lunch. Traditionally the field day starts in the morning.

Dario Soto, physical education teacher for EMES and MBES, said it is about letting children feel improvement and gain confidence while working on their coordination.

"We spend a lot of time in P.E. in teaching eye to hand coordination, I really believe in it," Soto said. "So field day does the same thing."

Only bad weather can prevent this gathering of the two schools as it did last year. Even then, although Elk Mountain students had to stay away, Soto, had the field day for MBES students.

This year he was happy to have both schools compete.

Chelsea DeWitt, teacher at MBES, said she enjoys the field day.

"I love it," DeWitt said. "Soto has a place in my heart, because he is such a special person. The kids love him."

DeWitt is correct on how much the kids take pleasure in this special day.

"It is really fun and I like it," Summer Broadwater a third grade student at MBES, said. "My favorite is the obstacle course. This will be my fifth time and Mr. Soto is a great P.E. teacher."

Broadwater wasn't the only student to mention the obstacle course.

"I have done this since kindergarten," 5th grader Makayla Johnson said. "Mr. Soto is a really nice P.E. teacher and on field day I like doing the obstacle course."

The field day has exercises with specific purposes. Running through cones and handing off rings to other students teaches feet, eye and hand coordination, while jumping over hula hoops trains them on depth perception, equilibrium, stability, footing and steadiness.

Soto grew up in Pine Bluffs, where he was born, and after graduating high school joined the U.S. Navy. Upon leaving the navy, he went to University of Wyoming, graduated with a teaching degree for social studies and a minor in physical education. He started his teaching career at Ft. Laramie and taught for three years before he came to Medicine Bow. He has been in the town since.

Soto taught kindergarten to seniors in high school in northern Carbon County from 1967 to present. He had winning teams in basketball and football at Bow Basin High School and adult residents who grew up in the three communities of Elk Mountain, Hanna and Medicine Bow speak reverently of the P.E. teacher.

Soto retired in 1993 but after two years he found himself coming back to help Medicine Bow Elementary as a substitute. The next thing Soto knew, Elk Mountain and Medicine Bow elementary schools needed a P.E. teacher and the Carbon County School no 2 (CCSD2) district asked him to take the position. He has been teaching at the schools ever since.

Soto is going to be doing this for a few more years. He recently got re-certified to teach until 2023. He will be 88 when his certification ends.

"This is fantastic," Noel Manning Curriculum Director for CCSD2 said of the field day. "Mr. Soto is a fixture and icon for communities. His experience is a great benefit to so many age groups throughout the years and, without him, this field day would be one less activity that helps so many get confidence. He is an inspiration to adults, not only the kids."

As always on this annual event, once the field day was over, Soto had a smile on his face.