Creative students + Oscar Mayer weiners = $10,000

A generation of young children grew up knowing their "bologna had a first name, O-S-C-A-R." Students now may not have grown up with that slogan in their heads, but it was that very jingle that helped students at Cottonwood Creek Elementary win $10,000.

Ten students, under the guidance of music teacher Kate Patterson and ELP teacher Larry Bottjen, made a movie containing the jingle and won $10,000 for their school as the state winner. But just as their was no joy in Mudville, there will be no Weinermobile in Wasilla.

Part of the prize package is that the official Oscar Mayer Weinermobile comes to the school -- but only in the Lower 48. Instead, the school received the $10,000 check and a large stuffed replica of the Weinermobile.

"It's not often that we get to spend $10,000 on our music program," Patterson said. "We were very excited."

The rules for the contest were simple -- make a movie, be creative and contain either the Oscar Mayer weiner or bologna slogans.

"The rules were wide open. So the kids and I got together, and we thought, 'What would they want to see?' So we went with the typical Alaska stereotype," Bottjen said.

The 10 students -- in grades two through five -- went to the banks of the Matanuska River in March, wearing parkas, fur coats, mukluks and other traditional Alaskan winter garb. They brought in Kim Fitzgerald of the Knik Dog Mushers Association, whose team of sled dogs mushed by the camera while the students sang the theme song.

"We had the mountainous background, the river there and a campfire burning where we roasted Oscar Mayer hot dogs," Bottjen said. "We even had kids with fishing poles dangling hot dogs over the sled dogs, and the dogs were eating the dogs. It was great."

The students actually sang the theme song before the video shoot, and then edited the theme into the finished product.

For many of the students, it was the first time they had heard the theme song that ran on television for 18 years, making it one of the longest-running commercials in history. They won't soon forget it, though.

"My wife has told me to shut up and to never sing that song again," Bottjen joked. "I can't get it out of my head."

The 10 students who worked on the video were Sydney Clifton, Amy Lacher, Marshal Lacher, Jaclynn Hamann, Tyler Gilligan, David Kennedy, Rick Peshel, Jeffrey Friesen, Connor Beauregard and JoLee Fife.

"It was harder than I thought it would be to make a commercial," Clifton said. "The hardest part was running alongside the dog sled."

For other students, the hot dogs were the highlight.

"I only got to eat one hot dog because the dogs ate the rest," Friesen said.

Even though the school won't host the famed Weinermobile, the library will be the home to a large stuffed Weinermobile that Oscar Mayer supplied as a consolation. And each student got a smaller replica of the Weinermobile. After winning the contest, the students have their sights set on bigger projects now.

"The big screen," Clifton said. "That's next."