Wells Academy kids get send-off to Disney World
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STEUBENVILLE -- Wells Academy students got a send-off from schoolmates as they embarked on a trip to Disney World.
Twenty-four fourth-graders with the Disney Imagineers Physics Club are heading to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., on today through Friday, where they will participate in a workshop at the Disney Imagination Campus and get a close-up look at how the rides work. Fellow students lined the corridor and cheered them on during a walk through on Thursday, with some donning Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse ear, Disney T-shirts and princess costumes as "Let's Go To Disney" played on the speakers. The young physicists also met Mickey and Minnie in the school gym and received some treats and bags of goodies for the trek.
The school club partners with Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative force behind the design and construction of all of its theme parks, resorts, attractions and more, and the fourth-graders have met weekly for fun and fundamental lessons in afterschool sessions that incorporate the Disney theme. Adviser Katie Mills, who shares duties with Heather Koehnlein, Jen D'Ortenzio and Heather Davis, said the group will depart today for the Sunshine State and spend their time learning the inner workings of park attractions.
"We'll go to the Disney Imagination Campus and will take a class with instructors to learn physics and the magic behind it all," Mills noted. "They try to teach kids about physics because Disney uses physics and creativity to make their magic."
According to Disney's website, the program will allow students to work in teams to investigate Newton's Law of Motion, gravity and kinetic energy play in the design and operation of the theme park attractions. There are also various hands-on opportunities to apply the scientific method, collaborate in creative problem-solving scenarios and take part in brainstorming sessions involving various design processes, while the students will also present their work to Disney Imagineers.
The school conducted fundraisers to defray costs for each child and Mills said initial plans were to travel to Florida in 2020, but that was halted by the COVID pandemic. This marks the first time the group will participate, and she hoped to make it an annual event.
Mills continued that physics can be a difficult subject to grasp for younger students, so officials work to make it enjoyable as well as educational. Members join at the end of their third-grade year but do not have to attend the trip.
"I look at standards for physics and I try to make it as fun, visual and hands on as possible," she added, adding that high schoolers have also assisted with sessions. "There are a lot of experiments and branches of physics, and the creativity is fun because they use their imagination."
They will be joined this time by 24 members of the Steubenville High School Leadership 101 class, who will attend leadership workshops and training sessions of their own, while the Big Red Marching Band will also appear in a parade.
SHS teacher M.J. Burkett, who leads the leadership class, said this was the first time his students have also taken part.
"Most of the students going were a part of my Leadership 101 class that met daily throughout the school year and our culminating activity is to attend a leadership workshop or training," Burkett explained. "Since our band and Wells fourth-graders are going to Disney this year, we decided to attend the Disney Leadership workshops. Our leadership students worked with Wells' physics club after school, where they taught lessons and played games with the students."
He added that his pupils will attend "Leadership the Disney Way" and "Teamwork the Disney Way" workshops that Disney requires employees to complete, and they are also available to high school- and college-age students.
"Leadership 101 is a new class for this school year, so this is our first time going. We held many fundraisers by hosting elementary pool parties and selling pizza, candy apples, fudge and T-shirts. We also sold 50-50 tickets and held a drawing for a gift card tree at the 'Twas the Night holiday event," Burkett said. "They are very excited about the trip and several students have never been there before."
A few of the Wells pupils said they, too, were excited about the opportunity.
"I like it we we get to have classes at Disney and I will be with all of my friends," said Hannah Lyons.
"It's my first time," added Kate Filtz. "It's fun and having my friends is a cool addition to being at Disney."
"I'm so excited," exclaimed Lucas Cheslar. "It's my first time. I've got goosebumps and can't sleep!"