Students at Lincoln Elementary School recently built NASA-inspired kites as a way to find a positive outlook on windy weather — months after strong winds caused substantial damage to the school's roof.
"What actually happened to Lincoln Elementary a couple months ago with some serious damage to the roof from the wind. And so we just kind of wanted to help out and give back a little and kind of show ways that the wind can be really magical. And it is powerful, but it can also do a lot of really incredible things," said Sarah Fetterman, Montana State University Science & Math Center representative.
Watch the video here:
Montana State University is part of the NASA AREN program which flies large kites to collect atmospheric data including temperature, humidity, and wind speed.
The kites that Lincoln students designed are smaller, but nearly identical to the ones NASA scientists use today.
"They basically get to be Earth scientists and do what the NASA scientists are doing. These kites are a little bit smaller, you know, not quite to the same scale, but they're really similar," Fetterman said.
For third-grader Millie Moore, the project was more than a fun activity — it was a chance to learn something new.
"That we got to build kites and learn about how they used the kites to learn about science and that stuff," Moore said.
Teacher Brooke Knowles hopes the experience leaves a lasting impression on her students.
"I hope the kids remember this as a very unique time in their schooling periods. I hope that they, just know that they are, this is a good example of how they can be resilient after an event like this happened to them," Knowles said.
