If you ask a HMS or HHS student about their most memorable experiences in school, there is a very good chance that their answer will include the spraydown by Fire District 3 and hot air balloon launch, both of which are longstanding 5th Grade traditions. While the spraydown is still a few months away, the hot air balloon launch took place under sunny skies this past November.
Is the launch for fun? Is it educational? Well, it's both! It's a cooperative learning project in which students learn by doing. The learning objective is the 5th Grade Science Standard that relates to "structure and properties of matter." In more practical terms, students work in groups of 3 to observe how air expands when heated, lifting handmade balloons made of various materials into the air.
The designs and materials differed, as did the ultimate altitudes reached by the balloons. But all students who participated in this launch, like their predecessors, had the same unforgettable learning experience.