ST. JOHN | From the time Jan Hines was a little girl, her soul has heard the sweet call of the water and the deep tranquility of the sun's last light at dusk as a crescendo of dramatic hues and golden rays sweep the sky.

"There seems to be a peace about the world at sunset," she said.

"You feel so close to nature. The more time I spend on the water, the more I want to be there. There's a magnetic, serene feeling that surrounds me as our boat travels on the lake.

"Imagine floating on the water, listening to the waves as you're gently rocked to sleep. In the morning, you watch the sun rise and burn the early morning mist from the water."

In quest of her dream, the Kolling Elementary School principal launched her 42-foot cabin cruiser, "Laughter," on June 30 from Portage's Marquette Yacht Club and will pilot it down the Illinois, Ohio, Mississippi and Tennessee rivers.

Hines, 55, of Gary, received an $8,000 Lilly Endowment Inc. Teacher Creativity Fellowship Award. She was one of 129 teachers to receive the funding for which 700 educators applied.

Hines has created a Web site so students can follow her river trip. She'll live on the boat for a month and keep a detailed log and along the way learn about chart plotting and Global Positioning System, and develop an interactive social studies curriculum.

In a way, her journey began at age 5 at her parent's cabin on a small lake in Bitely, Mich. Her dad would tie a row boat to the dock until she and her brothers mastered rowing. At 10. she graduated to a trolling motor.

"We thought we were big stuff," she said. After college, she would sit on the waters edge gazing at cabin cruisers. "I hoped one day instead of sitting there watching, I'd be the one coming into the harbor," she said.

Her devotion makes her a better educator, she says.

"I love children and setting up an environment for them to be successful. My passion for the water and the renewal it brings me allows me to keep my passion for education. I don't burn out."

Hines admitted she's nervous about sharing the river with barges that measure the size of two football fields or navigating the lock system. She even shared her fears with students at an assembly.

"I told them ‘Mrs. Hines is a little scared,'" she said. "That it's like the first time they try skateboarding or a dance lesson. It brings it to life when they see an adult who has worries and has the same kinds of feelings they do at times.

"The challenge of doing something that pushes me out of my comfort zone helps me to relate to the nervousness kids feel about anything that's new - like the first day of school - or even looking at a fraction on the blackboard."

The highlight will be sharing her experience. "I'm excited about the unknown," she said.

"Yes, it's a dream come true. But I'm most looking forward to sharing the history and bringing that back into the classroom. It's an opportunity to share my learning and show my students it can be challenging and fun."