I feel the need… the need for science

Sturgeon Creek

Crestview

For some, the intro music to Top Gun is a sign that a classic action movie with fighter jets, aerial combat, and prime ’80s Tom Cruise is starting. For others — perhaps hockey fans — it means the Winnipeg Jets are getting ready to play a home game.

For the aviation students at Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate, the music signals the beginning of Top Gun: At the Heights — a science activities at which aviation concepts are taught in a Top Gun-themed way.

Top Gun was released on May 13, 1986 so, on that date 40 years later, it inspired the next generation of Mavericks and Geese.

As 129 Grade 6 students from École Ness piled into a theatre, a Sturgeon Heights-version of the iconic film intro scene, starring aviation instructor Joe Vodopivec, rolled kicking off a morning in which students visited five different activity stations. The result was a hands-on learning environment featuring everything from paper airplanes to flight simulators.

Part of the Grade 6 curriculum is a unit on the basics of flight, and while there weren’t any great balls of fire, things such as bottle rockets, Frisbees and science experiments demonstrated classroom theory in an engaging manner.

“I find it interesting that everything we do in the classroom, we’re applying right here,” said Joaquin, a Grade 6 student from École Ness. “Today’s been great, there’s nothing I didn’t like.”

Joaquin said he thinks flight and space are interesting, and he wants to be a pilot or astronaut one day.

For Orenda Handel, a Grade 12 aviation student, that’s what the day was all about.

“(Mr. Vodopivec) passed on his passion to me and its motivation to pass it on. Today one of these kids might have sparked their passion for aviation,” Handel said.

Vodopivec, aviation instructor at Sturgeon Heights for 25 years and creator of the first high school aviation program in Canada, said the student-led mentorship was the goal.

“(I’m) proud, you see them take the leadership role and share their passion,” Vodopivec said. “It’s great because it’s not about me. It’s about my students succeeding.”

Playing with the Boys, by Kenny Loggins, is the feel-good song in the movie, but it’d be more accurate to say playing with science was the vibe of the day.

For Addison, a Grade 6 student, launching bottle rockets was her favourite.

“I was surprised how high it went,” she said excitedly, while focused on flying over the St. Andrews Airport in a flight simulator.

For Carter, Cooper, Alex, and Austen throwing their Styrofoam airplane the furthest and tasting victory in the form of a package of Mike and Ike candy was their favourite part.

“It’s a very uplifting event,” said Abel Menasie, a Grade 12 aviation student who plans to continue flight education after high school. “All the Grade 6s were smiling and happy.” Menasie said he hopes he inspired them.

As the credits began to roll, the electric guitar solo wrapped up, the École Ness students took home a swag bag of aviation-themed goodies and pile onto the school bus, and the fast-paced morning came to an end.

For information about the aviation program visit their Instagram page: cshc_aviation_highschool