STEM Saturday Takes Off With Flying Classroom Virtual Adventure

By Mark Boehler
Corinth School District

Families had the opportunity to join their Corinth Elementary School students for a hands-on educational experience at a recent STEM Saturday event.

Parents, siblings and caregivers participated in the “Flying Classroom” curriculum. The curriculum is based off of the adventures of Captain Barrington Irving, the youngest person to ever fly solo around the world and the first African-American to accomplish the feat. 

First and second graders learned about the honey bee and built honey bee hotels, while third and fourth graders explored python hunting in the Florida Everglades and created python dioramas. 

“The day was so much fun for everyone,” said Kristen Barnett, Special Projects Coordinator for the Corinth School District. “Families had a really good time. When you can get families to come to school on a Saturday, you know that you have created something special.”

Family engagement was the primary focus of the May 10 event along with hands-on learning and fun activities associated with STEM. Approximately 40 families took part in this event. “Due to the outstanding success of this family engagement event, we hope to provide more of these types of activities in the future,” said Barnett. 

Parents Steven and Lynzie Haywood attended with their entire family. “It was great to get the entire family involved,” said Haywood. “My boys love STEM Saturdays and have yet to miss one.”

Second grader Samuel and first grader Tiller participated in the activity along with their sisters, fifth grader Cora and four-year-old Eleanor, who will start Pre-K at Corinth Elementary School this fall. 

After each STEM activity, students had the opportunity to present and discuss their projects via Zoom with the Flying Classroom instructors.

In addition to building honey bee hotels, all students created a decomposable seedling pot, serving as a great gift for Mother’s Day weekend.

Third and fourth graders created a set of spy glasses to enhance their python diorama. “Students had to experiment and use engineering principles to create a set of glasses that would allow them to see in front and behind them. In the Everglades, it’s important to see from a wide range of angles as you never know where creatures are hiding,” said Barnett.

Join the Corinth School District for its next STEM Saturday with the theme “Beach Party” on June 7. The camps are open only to Corinth School District students. Parents must pre-register their child on the Corinth School District website at www.corinth.k12.ms.us.