Douglas County students to get real-life aviation instruction

Nearly 150 Douglas County third-graders will participate in a journey of exploration from the Minden-Tahoe Airport to space and beyond.

The program is sponsored by the Minden-Tahoe Airport as part of a partnership with the Douglas County School District. The airport and school district plan to make the program an annual event that is coordinated with the science curriculum of the students.

“This program is aimed at inspiring and educating young people in our community about the world of aviation and aerospace science,” Steve Mokrohisky, assistant County manager for Douglas County, said in a press release. “We are truly excited about our partnership with the school sistrict and the opportunity to highlight the educational value of aviation.”

This year the district is starting with students from Pinon and Minden elementary schools,

“Everything being offered at the Aviation Education Day is in line with our third-grade science curriculum and it provides such a great way to add hands-on relevance and rigor for our students,” Kerry Pope, director of curriculum and instruction for DCSD, said in a press release.

The program begins at 9am Sept. 29 at the Minden-Tahoe Airport. Groups of approximately 30 students each will rotate through the Challenge Learning Center of Northern Nevada dome where they will learn about aviation, earth science, space science, space travel and exploration, and geography.