Allendale Columbia School is pleased to announce its most ambitious program to date. For the 2013-2014 academic year, students will be able to travel to the moon. Through a series of interdisciplinary pursuits from both faculty and student contributors, space travel has gone from a thing of wonder to a thing of reality.
Mick Gee, AC's newly-minted Head of School, is very excited about this new prospect. "STEM Education is so 2012. This is STEM Application. My previous initiatives, including City as a Campus, were just the first footsteps. I'm calling this program, 'Universe as a Campus'".
The project owes its existence to Dr. Jeffrey Lawlis, the Science Department chair. His research, along with fellow faculty member Amy Rudich, formed the basis for the launch mechanism that will allow up to 4 students to reach the lunar surface. Their recently published work, "Phase-Changing, Plasma Induced Hyper-Acceleration for Extra-Orbital Travel" started as a napkin drawing. Says Dr. Lawlis, "It's really a souped-up catapult. With a bang."
The project has taken on a school-wide focus. Dining personnel are working to package some of the students' favorite meals inside of special pouches designed to withstand the 30 minute ride to the moon. They ruled out pureed forms of AC specials. Mrs. Laura Reynolds-Gorsuch commented, "The kids really enjoy the paninis, but there's no reason they can't look presentable even in space."
The students have been eager to bring the Lunar program to fruition. Diane Broberg's 11th grade calculus class has been working feverishly to calculate the timing and trajectory for the initial voyage. One weary junior looked up from her pages of calculations and exclaimed, "This thing is travelling at almost 10,000 miles per hour. I mean, c'mon!"
Facilities Manager Terry Mulcahy and past Board Member Rick Garrett have begun talks with the Towns of Pittsford & Brighton about the joint development of a space launch facility. Officials are excited about the economic boost that space travel could bring to their quiet suburban bedroom communities. "We'll just have to make sure that no one shanks a long drive off the fairway from Oak Hill onto our launch pad," said Mulcahy.
Allendale Columbia Director of Development John Reese is looking forward to the first test flight at the end of this month. The annual fund-raiser is scheduled for
April 27th, and he's certain that this kind of program is exactly what school supporters want to see. "It will be a Spring Fling, all right. We'll fling it right up to the Moon!"
Indeed you will, Mr. Reese.
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