Russellville Middle ready for blast off
By Staff
Melissa Cason, Franklin County Times
The students at Russellville Middle School and Russellville Elementary School will soon have their minds in outer space, but that's okay.
Teachers will encourage their minds to stay there as the schools prepare for Space Week this fall.
Sixth graders at RMS and fifth graders at RES will have the opportunity to build a model space shuttle and space station from scratch in their gymnasium and launch it in a simulated mission to orbit the Earth.
Representatives from the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville will visit RMS Sept. 17-21to help the sixth graders build a shuttle during science class. The students will begin with PVC pipe and heavy plastic by measuring, cutting and assembling it into a static, inflatable model of NASA's Space Shuttle and International Space Station – complete with a Canadarm, docking tunnel and Mission Control area.
At the end of the week, each sixth grade student will get to experience a simulated launch.
There will be two night events during the week so parents and the community can see the progress the students are making, and on Thursday night – Sept. 20 – the school will hold Space Science Night, where visitors will be able to view a test mission on the newly constructed shuttle, and see the stars through telescopes.
Thorn said that while the project is targeted to the sixth grade students, the seventh and eighth grade students will be able to participate in the event by building and launching rockets in the schoolyard.
In addition to the week's activities, three RMS teachers attended Space Camp this summer in order to prepare for the upcoming project.
While RMS will hold their Space Week in September, RES will have similar activities in October.
Principal Kristy Ezzell said that the teachers and students are equally excited about the NASA visit, and are looking forward to building their shuttle and rockets this fall as well.
"We are just very excited about the space week experience," Ezzell said. "I feel this will also get the students more interested in science and will help when it comes time for testing."
Ezzell said that the fifth graders will be tested in the area of science during accountability testing this year.
"This is the first year we have had to be accountable in science, and we are excited about this event," Ezzell said.
She added that all of the science teachers at RES volunteered to go to Space Camp this past summer, and they all loved it.
"I asked if some of our teachers would like to go to Space Camp, and all of a sudden I had all the fifth grade teachers going to Space Camp," she said.
Ezzell added that her teaching staff is just that excited about the Space Program, and everyone is looking forward to the experience.
