Grade 6 students taking off to Bushplane thanks to new funding

Sault North Rotary is providing $12,000 in funding for local schoolchildren to take part in the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre’s Gr. 6 Flight Education Program.

Flight is a mandatory strand within the Gr. 6 science curriculum involving study of the four forces of flight: lift, thrust, weight and drag.

The funding from Sault North Rotary will enable classes to complete that strand through experiments in four-hour, one-day field trips to the Bushplane Museum.

Children will also be able to get a closer look at the Bushplane Museum's aircraft — something that not all children get a chance to do.

“Times have changed. Schools don’t have the budgets that they used to have. Buses are getting more expensive. This program would cost $15 per student and the buses are around $115 now. Often teachers are provided two buses for the entire school year and they have to plan their trips around those two buses they can afford,” said Tim Murphy, Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre education coordinator before a cheque presentation from Sault North Rotary to the Bushplane Museum on Wednesday.

“Sometimes the schools can’t contribute as much to these programs as they would like to and these outings can get really difficult for some families if they have to pay $15 for a child to go on a field trip. It can be really hard for some people who are struggling to put food on the table in this day and age.”

“For Sault North Rotary to give us $12,000, it means that 900 kids will get to come here and do this four-hour program at no cost. What better way to learn about the controls of an aircraft than in an airplane hangar with a lot of real life airplanes to show you how they work?” Murphy said.

“If I had something like this when I was your age I might have become a pilot. We believe one of you or a few of you might become pilots,” said Neil McLean, Sault North Rotary president addressing a group of Kiwedin Public School Gr. 6 students gathered at the museum for their four-hour field trip.   

McLean mentioned Judy Cameron, the first female pilot hired to fly for a major Canadian carrier as a role model for female students.

Cameron began to fly for Air Canada in 1978.

“The funding is a huge help,” said Shannon Ramsay, Kiwedin Public School Gr. 5 and 6 teacher speaking to SooToday.

“I think that financial barrier exists for lots of families and we like to do lots of field trips. We love experiential learning and experiencing things hands-on so to be able to have this financial support is amazing because these students get to come and experience the flight curriculum in a hands-on way that really sticks with them and reinforces the material that we learn at school.”

The study of flight strand in the Gr. 6 science curriculum lasts three to four weeks and having the Bushplane Museum available to local students is a great benefit, Ramsay said.

“In school we’ve been doing a lot of experiments and creating flying objects at school, but to come here and see real planes and to do all these experiments the Bushplane Museum has set up for us reinforces what we’re learning and brings it to life for all the kids.”

“I think a lot of kids in Sault Ste. Marie have had the experience of coming here so they understand a bit about what being a pilot might involve and get inspired to follow that path when they get older," Ramsay said.

“It’s been fun so far. We’ve learned lots and I’m hoping we can learn more. We’ve learned about the properties of air and the four forces of flight. Being a pilot looks like fun and it might be a pretty cool job,” said Andrew Pusch, a Kiwedin Public School Gr. 6 student.

“I think this is a great place,” said student Mya Irvine.

“You can learn about planes here and the forces of flight. I’m really excited to explore around the building and I think this is a great part of the community. Being a pilot is kind of a dangerous job so I’ll stick to wanting to be a veterinarian,” she said with a smile.

“But, I like learning about planes and this field trip is awesome,” Irvine said.

Sault North Rotary has also provided $3,000 for 100 Algoma District Gr. 4 students to take part in educational outreach events presented in partnership with Entomica Insectarium, the Kensington Conservancy, Algoma Highlands Conservancy, Clean North, the Lake Superior Watershed Conservancy, the Invasive Species Centre and the Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority.