12:05 am
- November 14, 2012
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Updated:
12:05 am
- November 14, 2012
Fit and Fun
Students tour traffic control tower
Students from Innovations Public Charter School recently toured the new Kona International Airport Traffic Control Tower as part of their “Our Community” unit of study.
Under the guidance of Systems Specialist Jeremy Withrow, students toured the facility and learned about the traffic patterns airplanes have to follow and what it takes to keep everyone safe while traveling in the air. “There was a really big computer that controls all of the airplanes,” said first-grader Anelakai Crane.
As students learned about the flashing dots on the screen that represented the many airplanes in the sky, they heard the roar of airplanes taking off and landing on the runways nearby and voices of airplane pilots asking for directions over the loud speakers.
Sitting in “really high chairs” the students understood the vantage point controllers have in order to watch what’s happening with the airplanes. First-grader Maile Niven said, “I want to be an air traffic controller and keep all the airplanes safe.”
Kona Sunrise Rotary Club has installed its second “Peace Pole” in our community on the campus of Innovations Public Charter School. The pole displays the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in four different languages and is a visual reminder of the goal of promoting peace throughout the community and the world. Earlier in the school year, the rotary gifted each student with a ruler made out of recycled material that carried a similar message – “Peace Rules”, that students use as a reminder that they are “tools of peace”. With the pole installed on campus, students now have a visual reminder during their travels between classes and across campus that they can be instruments of peace. The pole will be adorned with benches and stepping stones that will create a place of “ho’oponopono” for students where they can go to make amends with themselves or others, center themselves, or be in thoughtful pondering. This partnership between the school and community organizations such as the Rotary Club extend the school’s vision of fostering in students the belief that they can make a difference and contribute in a positive way to their community and the world at large.