A Gifted Field Trip

The Fair Grove High School Calculus and Chemistry classes took a field trip to Silver Dollar City to put their education to use in an exciting way. 

This field trip that the Fair Grove High School took to Silver Dollar City is open to any student that is in one of the Calculus or Chemistry classes. Mrs. Dunning, one of the two teachers in charge of the field trip and the Chemistry teacher, stated, “Students currently enrolled in either of these classes, who are maintaining good grades in all of their classes.”

The purpose of this field trip was to give students a more open look on how to apply science and math in a real world setting. Dunning stated, “Silver Dollar City provides a curriculum for Chemistry, and provides the students with a real world application of chemistry. Students will, for example, visit the glass blowers and the candle makers to observe various chemical and physical changes and give them the opportunities to ask questions and observe phenomena.”

Some of the students on this trip were looking forward to learning about many of the things that are to come when they are there. Allison Findley (11), exclaimed, “While riding all the fun rides at Silver Dollar City, we will be learning about the mechanical side of the roller coasters and seeing how that ties into and relates to chemistry and calculus.” 

Students were also excited to just be able to relax and enjoy the rides such as the brand new water ride that has opened in Silver Dollar City called Mystic Rivers. Finley expresses, “I am most excited for the brand new water ride, Mystic Rivers! I am really hoping that the weather is nice or it will be a bad day.” Another student, Reid Breckner(11), stated, “I am most excited to get out of having to go to school for a day to go hang out with Bradley, Sam, Brandon, Mrs. Dunning, and Tyler in silver dollar city.”

The field trip was not strictly for fun, the teachers also gave the students a worksheet to incorporate their education into the fun day. Mrs. Feldman, a supervisor of the field trip and the Calculus teacher, voices what other information the students do not know, “The students will have different stations set up all around the park and they give you a packet beforehand with questions on it. All the stations are related to the subjects Calculus and Chemistry. For example the blacksmith station uses chemistry and some of the roller coasters have examples of calculus in them. Once you answer the questions you get them checked.”

These students got to enjoy a fun day outside of school while still getting in their education and putting their knowledge to use in the real world.