OCEANSIDE -- The mild, sunny skies of Oceanside warmed the spirits of students at Temple Heights Elementary last week. But a telephone call sent an exciting chill through teacher Ramiro Santana's third-grade classroom.

On the other end was Wave Vidmar, an Oakland resident standing in below-freezing weather, attempting to ski 660 miles from the Artichevsky Peninsula in Russia to the North Pole. Alone.

When the phone rang precisely at 2 p.m. Thursday, jaws around the classroom dropped and about six students lined up at the speakerphone to ask the adventurer prepared questions about his experiences. They asked about the wildlife he had seen, about how his eyelids had swollen nearly shut as his eyelashes froze off and whether the sun was still shining at 3 a.m. at the top of the world.

"On the inside, I'm very happy," Vidmar, 39, told the students about his condition. "It's just, an experience like this is very rough on the body."

Vidmar spoke to the students via satellite phone.

The call was organized by Encinitas-based Global SchoolNet, a nonprofit organization that focuses on interactive learning and international projects.

"You're probably some of the only kids in the whole world to get a call from the North Pole," Yvonne Andres, president of Global SchoolNet, told the students.

Her comments were far from hyperbole.

Aside from Temple Heights, only three schools worldwide spoke with Vidmar during the 50 days of his trek. An Israeli classroom spoke with the adventurer earlier Thursday, and a school in Georgia was expected to receive a call from him Friday, the last day of his journey.

Although he had planned to reach the polar cap after 60 days, Vidmar's adventure was cut short because his money ran out sooner than expected, he explained on his Web site, which he updated daily with journals and digital photos.

After being selected earlier this month, the class has spent several hours each week preparing for their conversation with Vidmar. They regularly followed Vidmar's daily e-mail updates, charting his every move.

"The discussions (of Vidmar's trips) usually branched off into a lot of math, miles and distance" said Santana, of the students' efforts to map Vidmar's daily progress through the arctic terrain.

The larger lesson, however, was teaching the students to pursue their goals, Santana said.

"Not to just plan something, but to take action," he added.

The lesson appears to have sunk in, at least somewhat.

Celeste Taylor and Kateri Rodriguez, two of Santana's students, said that they admired Vidmar's bravery and were inspired to embark on their own journey someday.

Their planned destination, nonetheless, may be a little less arduous to reach. When asked where they would like to travel to, the youngsters smiled and chimed, "Hawaii."

Contact staff writer David Fried at (760) 631-6621 or dfried@nctimes.com.