George Matthews, a local retired businessman and geocaching enthusiast, recently conducted a geocaching workshop for the Earth and Environmental Studies students at Anson New Technology High School.

Matthews is an avid participant in nationwide geocaching and an expert in the field. Geocaching is the use of a handheld GPS device to follow coordinates to locate hidden caches. The “sport” is growing in popularity and is a great way to visit and learn about places. More can be learned about geocaching by visiting www.geocaching.com.

The New Tech students are in the midst of a project called “Revenge of the Maps,” which will culminate in a countywide Discover Anson Tour on Saturday, May 2, beginning at 9 a.m. at the Anson High School commons area. The tour will involve teams who have paid entry fees to support programs at Anson New Tech. The event will cover all of Anson County and eight sites that are unique to the county. There will also be information/assistance stations near these sites. The sites will be revealed to the teams at the orientation on Saturday.

The final vision for this project by the New Tech students is to place the Discover Anson Tour on the county’s Web site. This would make it available for not only the citizens of Anson County, but for visitors, potential visitors and people from other places who want to know more about Anson.

Teams participating in the Discover Anson Tour are: The Southern Fab Team, The Stinson Team, The Davis Team, The Boy Scouts of Lilesville, The Amy Stewart and Gang Team, two teams made up of the school's Parent Leadership Team, one of which is sponsored by Carolina Apparel, and The Huntley Oil Team.

"We would like to give a special thanks to these teams for taking part in this project," said Anson New Tech principal Chris Stinson. "We would also like to thank the Earth and Environmental Studies students, their teachers Mr. Clint Davis and Mrs. Michelle Fowler, Mr. George Matthews, Mr. John Dunlap, the Parent Leadership Team of Anson New Tech, The administration and staff of Anson New Tech, and all of our other supporters and sponsors. Our vision is to make this a yearly event that will promote Anson County and all of its treasures."