May 2008

Winning Students and Chaperones Take Off for Space Center Houston

The winners of the Adopt-A-Pilot CAREER TAKEOFF contest literally took off on their "flying field trip" recently when they departed from Dallas Love Field for Houston Hobby International. Once they touched down, they were in for an unforgettable day exploring the far reaches of space travel at Space Center Houston.

For some Poetry Community Christian School students, it was their first time to fly. And with their pilot mentor Shawn Blankenship in the cockpit, it made for an even more exciting first flight. Once in Houston, the students, parents, and teacher Sherri Duggan traveled by bus to the Space Center, where the group received VIP treatment from the Space Center staff.

The adventures started with a screening of a large-screen format film about the history of space travel. Seeing footage of man's first landing on the moon set the stage for the following tour through the Starship Gallery, where students got up close and personal with actual spacecraft, including the command module from Apollo 17.

The tram tour then took students to the Johnson Space Center, where they visited the Historic Mission Control Center that was standing by as lunar astronaut Neil Armstrong uttered the famous words, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." The group also walked alongside the 363-foot-long Saturn V rocket that would have launched the Apollo 18 mission, had the program not been discontinued in the early 70s. Coming up to speed on modern space travel, Ms. Duggan's class toured a replica of the Space Shuttle, learning how astronauts go about life in space.

As the group headed home to Dallas, they were abuzz with all they had learned and experienced. Ms. Duggan was most proud of her students, as they had all worked hard as individuals and as teams to put together their winning CAREER TAKEOFF portfolio. Ms. Duggan's classes had ranked among the Top 10 for the past couple years, so to break through and take the top prize was a sweet victory for them.

Congratulations to Poetry Community Christian School and all the other classes who participated in the national contest. Learning about future careers will only help you set your dreams higher - and take you to places you might never have imagined!

Pilot Herb Lewis' Class Enjoys their Learning Adventure in Seattle

In the adjacent blog (above), you can learn about how "adopted" Pilot Herb Lewis and teacher Sharlene Duerkson's Valley View Elementary class worked hard to plan and raise money for a flying field trip field trip of their own from Boise to Seattle. Here are a few more pictures of their educational adventures in Seattle.

Pilot Herb Lewis' Class Makes AAP History with their OWN Flying Field Trip

Have you ever heard of "blue sky thinking" -- the kind of ambitious dreaming that leads to great adventures? Well that's the kind of thinking that propelled "Adopted" Pilot Herb Lewis, teacher Sharlene Duerkson and their class at Valley View Elementary to plan a flying field trip of their own. Herb has volunteered in Adopt-A-Pilot for more than nine years, and he has worked with Sharlene for more than five years. Last year they began asking themselves, "What if we could plan our own flying field trip...?"

To make it happen, here's what they planned:

Fundraisers - Plant sales, candy sales, silent auction, solicitation of businesses, sponsors for Geography Bowl, running a booth at the school carnival

Parental Involvement - Monthly parent meetings and involvement in fundraisers

Educational Focus - Adopt-A-Pilot curriculum, history of flight, preparing for their class' Geography Bowl

Field Trip Activities to Include - Boeing Plant Tour, Future of Flight Gallery, Aviation Learning Center, Museum of Flight

All their organization and hard work finally came together in April. The class earned the funds necessary for the trip and enjoyed an unforgettable day learning, laughing, and making memories. Wearing Adopt-A-Pilot T-shirts they had printed, they took off on Southwest Airlines' Spirit of Hope plane and arrived ready to explore aviation's history, current technology, and future. When they returned home, it was onboard Southwest Airlines' plane bearing the Adopt-A-Pilot logo (a special plane dedicated to Adopt-A-Pilot during the 10th Anniversary celebration last year).

Congratulations to the Valley View class, Pilot Herb Lewis and teacher Sharlene Duerkson for making Adopt-A-Pilot history with this 737-sized field trip. They are just another example of Adopt-A-Pilot classes proving the "sky's the limit" when it comes to reaching dreams -- now, and in the future.