PUHI — For every budding astronaut in grades three to six who aspires to explore the great unknown of the broad expanse known as space, the high-intensity, space-themed, Future Flight Hawai’i Day Exploration Program is a must. Five days of
PUHI — For every budding astronaut in grades three to six who aspires to explore the great unknown of the broad expanse known as space, the high-intensity, space-themed, Future Flight Hawai’i Day Exploration Program is a must.
Five days of hands-on training modules and missions in the areas of robotics, solar mechanics, and moon exploration, gives the intent understudies a world of knowledge, and a foundation of field expertise. Following this year’s theme of “Apollo: The Next Generation, Return to the Moon,” the educational program integrates the conceptual principals of science, technology, and future into the challenging curriculum.
In its fifth year on Kaua’i, and 15th year in existence, Future Flight Hawai’i, Kaua’i sector, has gained quite a reputation, thanks in part to a continuously growing legion of devoted space-frenzied fans and a continually evolving, specialized day program found nowhere else but here and Hilo.
According to Cheryl Shintani, teacher of the Kaua’i complex, many of the 60 students enrolled in the program are not Kaua’i residents. “Many of the kids who have been participating in the program over the years are from O’ahu, and some are from the Mainland.
“In fact, last year, we even had a boy travel all the way from Illinois just to be a part of the program,” Shintani said. “A lot of them who register for this year’s course also sign up for the program next year.
“Being that the themes change annually, so do the projects and the missions. Next year, our theme will involve the International Space Station, in honor of our teacher Barbara Morgan, who is next in line to venture to the Space Station.”
Shintani also noted that even prestigious affiliates from NASA, who in recent years have experienced the program for evaluation purposes, have had a hard time leaving. “They were having too much fun with all of the hands-on activities that the students were doing, and wanted to extend their stay, but their bosses wouldn’t have it.”
And while O’ahu does have a Future Flight Hawai’i Family Exploration Program for students in grades second to fifth and their parents, and both Hilo and Maui have a Future Flight Hawai’i RoboTech Exploration Program, they differ greatly from this particular program in curriculum and schedules, she explained. This year is Maui’s first year to play host to a Future Flight Hawai’i program, and will be Hilo’s last, a decision made by University of Hawai’i at Hilo administrative staff.
The KCC participants, comprised of three groups of students, were given “mission group names” and corresponding colored lanyards on Monday, enabling the adult staff of eight school teachers to quickly identify them.
The youngest of the convocation are Eagle, after the Apollo 11 mission, who sport red lan-yards; middle-aged participants bear the title of Falcon, after the Apollo 13 mission, and exhibit green lanyards; and the oldest of the group, who flaunt blue lanyards, are Challenger, after the Apollo 17 mission.
As part of their challenging schedule, members of the three groups rotate among a briefing session, an Ocean of Storms (moon-exploration and information) session, a robotics class, a polymer session, a Goldberg Challenge, a solar-rover session, afternoon mission, and other sessions which vary on a daily basis.
Some sessions, such as the robotics class and the solar-rover sessions, are divided up into two sections, to allow the students to get aquatinted with the basic mechanics of their projects, build them, and run practice trials with them.
By this Friday, June 24, the students will have gained enough expertise to conduct demonstrations for their parents, who will be attending the graduation ceremony in the KCC’s cafeteria, Shintani added.
To kick off graduation-day festivities, a video about being an astronaut will be shown. A Goldberg Challenge, where students must light a light bulb though a balloon, will follow, along with a robot course race, a teacher magic show and, finally, the handing out of the graduation certificates.
“All in all, I think Future Flight Hawai’i is definitely better than most other space-themed programs for kids,” asserts Shintani. “The entire concept of the program being hands-on rather than simulated, like the space program in Alabama, makes it that much more effective and meaningful.”
Funded and developed by the Hawai’i State Grant Consortium, University of Hawai’i at Manoa in cooperation with University of Hawai’i Hilo, Kaua’i Community College, and the County of Maui, First Flight Hawai’i derives from a program founded at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo by Art Kimura.
Future Flight Hawai’i continues through this Friday, June 24, with commencement exercises underway from 8 a.m. to noon at KCC in Puhi. For more information, please visit http://higp.hawaii.edu/futureflight/.
