DCSS Life Lab students go on field trip to Museum of Aviation

ALBANY — Second-grade students in the Dougherty County School System’s Gifted Education Program were able to learn about flight first-hand during a recent field trip to the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins. More than 70 students, 20 parent chaperones and two teachers participated in the field trip.

Students were taken on a guided tour of the museum, learned about the basic principals of flight and aerodynamics, including Newton’s laws of physics, and were able to examine, up-close, the multitude of military aircraft on display.

According to museum officials, all of the aircraft on display have been retired from active service and restored.

DCSS students spent time in the museum’s various buildings, which represent different eras of flight, and participated in activities such as making their own paper airplanes, experimenting with motion and sitting in mock-ups of various aircraft cockpits.

According to the Dougherty County School System website, gifted students include those whose learning styles and thinking abilities require experiences that are outside the educational mainstream. The DCSS Gifted Program offers a learning environment to challenge these fast learners and provides experiences for higher-level thinking.

Denise Cooper, a Dougherty County educator for 13 years, and Eve Schroeder, an DCSS educator for 11 years, spearheaded the field trip. According to both teachers, their goal was to provide the kind of teaching environment that challenged their students to actively experience learning, be creative and think critically.

Once per week, DCSS gifted students report to the L.I.F.E. (Learning in a Flexible Environment) Lab Center for classes and are transported back to their regular schools at the end of the day. At L.I.F.E. Lab, students develop skills in problem solving, critical thinking, research, communication and teamwork, as well as participate in field trips and community resources that support curricular objectives.

The long-range goals of the program, according to DCSS officials, are self-actualization for the gifted student and the development of a sense of responsibility to self, school and society.

Asked why students seem to like L.I.F.E. Lab so much, Eve Schroeder said, “Well, that’s because we are all nerds here.”

Throughout the school year, L.I.F.E. Lab students are allowed to participate in several field trips. This year, they have gone to the Florida Caverns, the Kolomoki Mounds, the space museum in Columbus, as well as the recent Museum of Aviation trip to Warner Robins. Most of the students agreed that the most recent trip was the best one yet.

“Whoa, look at those jet engines, they are so big!” Colin Snipes said while exploring underneath the B1B bomber on display in front of the museum.

Noah Daniel could hardly contain his enthusiasm while sitting in the cockpit of an H1 Huey helicopter.

“It’s so cool,” Noah said while operating both pedals and flicking switches at the same time.

Aulden Gosa said, “My favorite was the A10 ‘tankbuster’ and the B1B bomber, although I really liked the SR-71 Blackbird, too.”

Dana Gilbert raised her hand and attempted to answer almost every question asked throughout the day, all the while taking notes in her personal notebook for later reflection.

At the end of the day, a bit tired from their exploration, the DCSS Gifted Education students loaded up and headed home with a better understanding of the principals of aerodynamics, the physics of flight and the history of aircraft, experiences they could not have gained sitting in a classroom.

According to the Georgia Department of Education, in order for students to be eligible for state schools’ Gifted Education Programs in grades K-2, they must score in the 99th percentile on a mental ability test and in the 90th percentile or greater in total reading and math. To stay in the program, students must maintain satisfactory performance in the regular education program as well as at L.I.F.E. Lab.