Mission Oviedo: Fourth graders’ take on Oviedo’s history

Partin Elementary School fourth grade teacher Julie Grunther has been organizing a city-wide scavenger hunt that focuses on Oviedo’s rich history called Mission Oviedo for years. This year, the Oviedo Community News team visited the fourth graders before they descended on the town on April 18, teaching them basic journalistic skills to help them write an essay about their exploration, which is part of the assignment.

The essays, some of which are shared below, reference interesting and important historical facts and stories (bolded) and reflect a deep sense of civic pride and curiosity. Some of the essays are accompanied by photos of their hand-written work. Here’s a video, submitted by Grunther, from the day’s activities:

Grunther also shares the scavenger hunt locations here in case readers want to go on the hunt themselves, exploring local history, landmarks and popular community spots.

Essays

Thomas Menachery

The Partin fourth graders participated in Mission Oviedo on Saturday, April 18, 2026. This was special because there were multiple enjoyable and interesting missions. One example was at the Flagler trail, you take a small hike and at mile marker 4.25 you and your team (if you have one) act as a train because that is where Henry Flagler’s rail road was. Another one of the missions was that you record yourself acting like you are exploring the Econ river in a kayak or a paddle board or just walking. Another pleasing moment was at the library you can get your own library card if you don’t already have one. I also got to meet Oviedo’s Mayor, Megan Sladek who lives in the oldest (still existing) house in Oviedo. Along with visiting other historical places in Oviedo, I also got to meet a police officer & a firefighter from Oviedo. That is why I think Mission Oviedo was special!

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Alex Paz 

Oviedo has a long line of history, so many changes and renovations. The pronunciation of the town even changed over the years! The amazing part is that a lot of that history has been preserved in lots of different ways. Partin Elementary helps with this by doing an annual event, asking places around the community to participate, giving 4th graders the opportunity to learn about the achievements our community has accomplished!

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Olivia Pourcho

Just in from Mission Oviedo, I was on an exciting adventure visiting and exploring over 20 of Oviedo’s historic landmarks. It was special because it allowed me to visit places that I have never been to. Some of the historic places that I have visited include Lake Charm, Kelly’s Ice Cream, and Solary Park. My favorite place that I went to was the police station because I got to go in the cool cars. I highly recommend going to Oviedo because there are things to do for everybody.

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Isabela Lozada

Mission of Oviedo was a fun learning experience all thanks to Mrs. Grunther and everyone who made this possible. I learned so many wonderful things that make Oviedo an amazing place to live. For example, did you know Oviedo was once famous for growing celery? Now it is known for its live chickens! We also have awesome places to eat like Town House, Black Hammock, Briskets BBQ, and Kelly’s Ice Cream. On top of that, there are beautiful nature trails, lakes, rivers to explore. All of these things make Oviedo a really great place to live.

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Reese Ney

The best part of Mission Oviedo is seeing and learning about new things. One new thing I learned is Partin Elementary opened in 1991, and was named after Marguerite Partin. Marguerite was important because she would make learning fun and for her dedication to the local community.

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Callan Ney

Mission Oviedo is special because it provides kids an opportunity to experience the history of Oviedo while it being fun. Oviedo has a long history of baseball from modern players living here to Hal King who played for the Atlanta Braves. To show for this, the mural at Round Lake Park has Hal King on it. Also at the Oviedo Rec Center their mural has a baseball player on it, and finally at the Oviedo Historical Society has Oviedo baseball jerseys. This is why Oviedo has an interesting history. Now play ball!

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Charlotte

Mission Oviedo was amazing because of all the different sites and places you can go to. Honestly my favorite place in Mission Oviedo is Kelly’s ice cream and the library. The reason why I like Kelly’s ice cream is because of their delicious ice cream that I love. And why I like the library is because of all the amazing books I could read. I also liked the river because it was beautiful and peaceful. Why I liked Mission Oviedo is because of the awesome experience, because of the adventure we had, like going to the river and playing at Oviedo on the Park. Also Mission Oviedo was so very fun and I think I will remember Mission Oviedo for a long time and if you want to live somewhere awesome you should live in Oviedo because of the amazing things you can do.

I am so lucky to live in Oviedo.

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Joanna Wehbe

I believe that Mission Oviedo provides ways to see places in Oviedo that you have never seen before by using an educational, fun, and interactive way that’s appropriate for all ages and team members. You also get to learn cool facts that you didn’t know beforehand like the fact that the mayor’s house used to be a church. Mission Oviedo also provides a way to explore different and unique food places including Briskets BBQ Shack, Kelly’s Ice Cream, The Town House, and Black Hammock Restaurant. In Mission Oviedo you get to meet tons of new and amazing people like the police officers at the police station who were very nice and welcoming and even let people sit on the police motorcycle, the mayor was very nice too and let us pet her cute but feisty fluffy orange cat. In conclusion, Mission Oviedo is a very fun, educational, and unique way for kids to explore their city.

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Emma 

Mission Oviedo was special because I had my family with me the whole time. I was the commander of the mission and my brother was the lieutenant. My mom was the navigator and my dad was the pilot. I really enjoyed to go inside the Lawton  house. I got to see a portrait of Andrew Aulin [Sr.], the founder of Oviedo [credited with naming the city]. I also got to see cool things like farming tools, an old-fashioned coffee grinder, and portraits of other people who played big roles in the history of Oviedo.

Overall, Mission Oviedo was fun and I got to learn a lot about Oviedo history and I did everything! Mission accomplished!

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Emma Jervery

Mission Oviedo was a cool experience because we got to learn so much about Oviedo’s history.

My family and I went to the police station. I learned that their station was once the fire station a long time ago. We also got to sit on the motorcycle and go into a SWAT vehicle that is bullet proof.

We also went to the mayor’s house off of Lake Charm. Her house was once a church. We took a tour and found a cute fat cat named Simon. This was definitely one of my favorite places.

Our family also went to the Briskets [BBQ Shack and Grill]. This place has been around since 1965 [formally CW Barbecue]. The food is so good and filling. The brisket is cooked over wood and fire. I was lucky enough to get a free coconut pie because my dad helped get a drink for the staff there. It was really good. I also got to see and eat with one of my good friends from school. That was also a favorite place of mine.

Mission Oviedo is one of my favorite field trips because of all the places we visited and all the history we learned.

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Hailey F.

Oviedo is a special place because it has amazing schools, students and teachers. I loved learning about it. It helped me know Oviedo better and it has beautiful props and crops that grow. Partin Elementary is a great school also. It has so many kind students, teachers and principals and I loved learning about Oviedo’s history.

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Collin Boucher

Mission Oviedo was special to me because I got to spend time with my family and also learn a lot of cool stuff. For example, at the fire station I got to go into the fire truck and they showed me a lot of their equipment. I liked the police station. They gave me trading cards and I got to be on the motorcycle. At the Historical Society, I saw geodes that were 2 million years old.

I loved spending time with my family, it was very fun.

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Hannah Lachapelle

Mission Oviedo was such a great experience. I learned a lot about this great place I live in. I like all the crops we grow and all the rich history and the wonderful sites. What makes this city beautiful? It is its small town charm. I learned that Oviedo grew citrus, celery and other foods, and I recommend my school to everyone.

I couldn’t think of a better place to call home.

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Stephen Loka

Today, me and my mom went to Mission Oviedo. It was such a unique experience. I went around all of Oviedo. We learned so much stuff.

Can you believe that I lived in Oviedo for 4 years and there are some places I never went to?!

For example, I have never been to the Flagler Trail! Yes, it was a long trail, but it was fun to walk through it. Next time, I think I will bring my bike for a different type of experience.

Another new experience was The Artistic Hand. We walked inside and we enjoyed lots of art pieces that were nice. I knew that Oviedo is a nice city, but today I discovered a lot more about it. There is a lot to visit in Oviedo: parks, restaurants, history, rivers and lakes, and if you have never been there, give it a try!

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Zachary Hild

Mission Oviedo was an amazing experience. One reason I think that is I learned a lot of cool history, like all of the school’s origins. Because there is so much history, there has to be people behind this.

In 1962, a pilot saved a school by steering a plane to crash away from the school. Modern heroes are also part of Oviedo. A firefighter said “every day we are here to help the community”. Nature is also a big part of Oviedo. Bodies of water is a main part of Oviedo’s nature and is home to many animals.

Now that I completed Mission Oviedo, I can appreciate my community much, much more!

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Aaron Paravali

Mission Oviedo is special because we can visit and learn about the history of Oviedo. I learned that the mayor’s house is the oldest house in Oviedo. That Oviedo has a lot of history that I did not know about. Lake Charm is an interesting community, and the Flagler Trail was a long, cool trail and I found my rock.

The ‘Greetings from Oviedo’ [mural] from the Oviedo on the park looked so cool. Those are all the reasons why Mission Oviedo is special.

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Aria Duncan

Mission Oviedo was awesome because it felt like we were exploring our own town like real adventurers. We got to learn cool facts about Oviedo, like how it used to be known for growing tangerines and had important people who helped build the town.

It was really fun going to places like Lake Charm and seeing history in real life instead of just reading about it. My favorite part was meeting the mayor’s cat and working with my family and working out the problems. It felt like a board game. It was exciting when we got the answers right.

Mission Oviedo was special because it made me feel proud of where I live and showed me history can be fun.

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Luis Quinones

Mission of Oviedo was an amazing experience where I learned where many historical facts about Oviedo. I knew it was special, but during Mission Oviedo I was able to learn landmarks we have here.

Oviedo’s more than a special, it is a town with great history behind it.

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Sarah Staines and Maddie Clegg

Mission Oviedo was a very special experience because we got to learn all about Oviedo’s history while on a scavenger hunt. I walked through many different historic places in Oviedo, including the Oviedo Historical Society.

Oviedo is famous for chickens, but sadly we did not see any real chickens today. But we did get a picture with a giant chicken statue at Lukas Nursery. We learned about Jamestown and the Oviedo Historic Colored Schools Museum.

We even got to meet Oviedo’s very own mayor, Megan Sladek. She welcomed us into her home and told us how Oviedo was officially incorporated in 1925 and started out as a farming community. Oviedo sold lots of celery!

Mission Oviedo was an awesome experience. It didn’t just teach us about the city, it made us appreciate all of the great things there are to do in Oviedo.

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Sofia Bonfante

Mission Oviedo is very special because only 4th graders get to do it and it is so fun. Mission Oviedo is a great experience because you get to learn about history and about different Oviedo events that we can learn about.

One of my favorite stops is the mayor’s house, the Historical Society, and I liked the prize at the library. I learned that the mayor lives in the oldest house in Oviedo and also learned that the mayor’s house used to be a church.

I’ve learned a lot with this special experience and also got to show my family.

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Thomas Essman

I had fun because Mission Oviedo, because I got to canoe, got a flower, saw a typewriter, saw an early 1900s movie projector. This is why I like Mission Oviedo.