Environmental sustainability is the key to unlocking the mystery in Lynbrook’s Flight School
Skills in science, math, geography and literacy come together in the Lynbrook Public Schools Flight School enrichment program, an immersive, hands-on learning experience that promotes critical thinking, collaboration and creativity through the theme of environmental sustainability. Recently at West End Elementary School, teams of fourth graders worked together to solve a series of riddles that ultimately unlocked a final mystery.
Upon entering the Flight School classroom at West End, students were challenged with locked boxes secured by locks tied to four puzzles, each based on a different form of renewable energy: solar, wind, hydropower and geothermal. Activities included mapping routes of United States locations known for sustainable practices, analyzing solar panel diagrams, evaluating energy efficiency in illustrated rooms and solving wattage-based math problems. Each correct solution revealed a lock combination, and when all were opened, students earned bracelets as a reward.
Other recent Flight School lessons included rewriting the lyrics to a popular song, building lizard tanks to retain heat efficiently, and coding Ozobots to navigate clean energy pathways while avoiding pollutants. Each lesson is designed to excite students through a rewarding experience that promotes participation and fun.
“Flight School gives students the opportunity to think outside of the box,” Flight School teacher Corinne Teichmann said. “They’re collaborating, problem solving and applying what they’ve learned in meaningful ways. Watching their excitement as they succeed through each challenge has been incredibly rewarding.”
Originally offered to students in grades three through five in all three Lynbrook elementary schools, the Flight School program expanded to second grade last year and is set to include first grade next year.
