THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 25, 1995 TAG: 9505240214
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALLISON T. WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
Spitting bursts of fire, the Swiss Lady taught Elephants Fork Elementary School students a science lesson they won't soon forget.
``That's why I brought the camera, so I will never, ever forget this,'' said third-grader Jonathan Bullock after taking a picture of the hot air balloon towering over nearby treetops.
The recent balloon visit capped a three-week study of air by Mendie Williams' second-grade and Jacquelyn Lawrence's third-grade classes.
The teachers received a $200 mini-grant from the Suffolk Education Foundation to help fund the project. Donations from Pizza Hut and Planters Lifesavers Co. also helped make the visit happen.
``Riding in the balloon gave the kids the opportunity to see the dynamics of air through a real-life experience,'' Williams said.
While other classes looked on, Williams' and Lawrence's students took turns climbing aboard the hand-woven, wicker gondola for a ride in the tethered balloon with pilot Rene Meier.
Getting the balloon off the ground is based on a simple scientific principle: Heat rises.
Meier, owner of Gloucester-based Balloon Promotions Inc., powered the Swiss Lady with two liquid propane burners in the gondola. In about 15 minutes, heat from flames Meier sent shooting inside the balloon made it grow from a compact package that had fit inside his van into an 80-foot giant filled with 105,000 cubic feet of hot air.
``Hot air balloons are completely controlled by the air,'' said Kathy Holland, marketing director at Balloon Promotions. Tethered at three points, it rose about 100 feet.
For the previous three weeks, students had prepared for their ride by studying air. Lawrence's class, for example, wrote their expectations of their first hot air balloon trip, made and then flew kites, sang songs, role-played as hot air balloon pilots and conducted science experiments related to air. That left most students with a pretty good idea of how the balloon flies.
Durrell Mills, president of the Suffolk Education Foundation, believes experiences like the balloon ride make learning more fun for students.
``The mini-grants were designed to give teachers funds that would enable students to see things firsthand rather than just reading about them,'' Mills said. ``I think this was an experience those students will never forget.''
Last week, the foundation approved mini-grants for next fall. They are:
River Tank Science Project - Thanks to a $440 grant, Lakeland High School's science students will learn more about the environment by researching, and then building, terrariums and aquariums that depict Hampton Roads' ecological system.
Warriors' Den - Nansemond River High School's marketing education department will use a $300 grant to improve operation of the school store, the Warriors' Den, by purchasing an electronic cash register and switch box.
This will enable students to get on-the job training skills at the store.
Audubon-Inspired Birdhouses - Kilby Shores art students will use an $80 grant to study the artwork of wildlife artist John James Audubon by building and painting a birdhouse adorned with a naturalist scene.
``Look Out, Kindergarten! Here They Come'' - Two Mount Zion Elementary School kindergarten teachers were awarded $75 to sponsor workshops for public housing project residents with children starting kindergarten at that school next fall.
The parents will learn to help their youngsters be better prepared for starting school. Criteria for selection included the creativity involved in the proposed project and the number of people who would benefit from it. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MOTOYA NAKAMURA
Students at Elephants Fork Elementary School get a chance to learn
about a hot air ballon.
by CNB