Vina T.R.A.C.K.S. participants learn from “Hidden Figures”
Contributed
The Vina T.R.A.C.K.S. program took a field trip to see “Hidden Figures,” which reveals the true story of three African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit.
Through a collaboration between the Vina T.R.A.C.K.S Program and NASA, local students are conducting scientific observations of the natural environment and are learning the relevance of STEM skills to daily life. A couple weeks ago, students got to witness the story of three women who were integral to the space program in the 1960s, when they took a field trip to watch “Hidden Figures.”
“I liked it. It was a lot different than I thought it was going to be,” said Faith Haas, fifth grade. Her favorite part was “when they shot the rocket in the air and it worked.”
“I thought it would be someone hiding and trying to hack their system or something,” Molly Dill, fifth grade. She said she liked that although the main characters had to deal with racial and gender prejudice, they turned out to be the best and the brightest.
As part of the NASA partnership, students are learning about the engineering design process so they can develop solutions to real NASA challenges, such as designing a Crew Exploration Vehicle and pressure suits for astronauts. Students will be immersed in the scientific investigation techniques, such as data gathering, designing and testing to see if their design is a success, with assistance from the Franklin County Cooperative Extension’s Jacob Blacklidge.
Extension Director Katernia Cole-Coffey said the movie gave the students insights into STEM education, being a team player and persevering in whatever it is they want to achieve. “It tied into the different careers they can go into in relation to STEM,” Cole-Coffey said. The move also, she added, taught the students valuable lessons about civil rights and the progress made in equality over the years. She said it was important for them to see strong women making achievements in the workforce against the odds.
“It made us all really think about how far we have come in different careers for women,” Cole-Coffey said.
Lead teacher Paula Jackson extended her thanks to the Franklin County Cooperative Extension for funding the movie and lunch for the students and to the 21st Century Community Learning Center and Susan Hargett for purchasing T-shirts for the group. “They made it happen,” she said.
