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Press FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE EXTENSIVE PHOTOGRAHY AND VIDEO CLIPS ARE AVAILABLE; ALL STUDENTS HAVE SIGNED RELEASES. It’s Not Every Day Your Life Depends on the Answer to a Math ProblemEighth-graders at middle schools across Dallas-Fort Worth are finding out just what would happen if they get the answer wrong to a math problem that computes how much fuel a pilot should put into an airplane. Students take a break from their regular math class to travel around the world with aviatrix Sandi Smith. The eighth-graders compute the speed of the airplane, how cold it is at 8,000 feet altitude, how much it costs to fill up the airplane’s gas tanks, and how many Australian dollars they need to pay the bill. “It really gave the students real world experience with math problems,” says Michele Davis, Librarian/Media Coordinator at Rusk Middle School in Dallas. Smith takes students on a slide show presentation that re-creates her 1995 ‘round-the-world flight in a small, single-engine airplane. Students learn the aviation alphabet and make a radio call wearing real headsets to report their position over the Atlantic Ocean. Smith compares her flight to Amelia Earhart’s on a world map that shows both routes and explains the differences between aviation in Earhart’s time (1937) and flying today. Smith shows the children photos of exotic places such as Malta, Egypt, and an Omani McDonald’s with Arabic signs. “The McDonald’s slide is always a real hit with the eighth-graders,” says Smith. Teachers are under pressure to raise TAKS achievement test scores, and the accompanying 40+ page workbook offers practical exercises just like the kids will see on the TAKS. Students are exposed in a fun way to new cultures and a possible career – there are nine million aviation jobs in the U.S. Children even find out how to get a free introductory flight through the Young Eagles program offered by the non-profit EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association). Smith plans a video and Web site in the near future so more teachers and students can benefit from the program. She is also looking for corporate sponsors so she can visit as many classrooms as possible.
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