SWA Program Encourages Students To Consider Aviation

Fifth Graders in Quincy, MA recently spent four weeks learning about aviation, thanks to Southwest Airlines and pilot Kimberly Lane.

Adopted pilots mentor students and communicate a key message: education is important in reaching personal goals. According to its website, the Southwest Airlines Adopt-A-Pilot program is a four-week program that packs math, science, geography, history and creative writing into a sky-high educational adventure for hundreds of classrooms across the nation.

The program was developed primarily for fifth-grade classes. For four weeks, students track their adopted Pilot's journey and complete curriculum developed in cooperation with the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, the National Association of Teachers of Math and Science, and other education specialists. Students apply these subjects to aviation activities, made meaningful by their interaction with a real Pilot.

Miss Lane's nephew was one of the fifth graders and was the motivation for her interest. "At first he said, 'No way,' because I think he thought I was going to hug him in class," Lane told the Quincy Patriot-Ledger. "But then he called back three weeks later to see if they'd get to miss class. Then it was, 'Oh, OK, yeah!'"

While the students and teachers gave the program high marks, it was also beneficial for Kimberly Lane. She is looking into providing the Adopt-a-Pilot program for other schools in her area.

The highlight for many of the participants was the paper airplane contest where the students learned about the physics of flight. Others enjoyed mapping Lane's travels. Some of the students also talked about becoming a pilot one day.

According to the Adopt-A-Pilot website, over 600 pilots volunteer for the program each year, with over 30,000 students enrolled. Since the programs inception in 1997, they estimate over 110,000 students taking part in the process.

FMI: www.southwest.com/programs_services/adopt/adopt_home.html