Flying high

AFTON - Folding, creasing, bending and pancake maneuvers; the sounds of paper airplanes being made by students and parents made up East Union Elementary’s STEM day presentations.

On Tuesday, April 30, John Collins, branding himself as “The Paper Airplane Guy,” led presentations throughout the day at East Union to the elementary students. He is a former Guinness world record holder for longest flight distance for a paper airplane.

In 2012, Collins used his interests in origami and aerodynamics that he inherited at a young age to create a paper airplane to break a world record. The paper plane was thrown by former AFL quarterback Joe Ayoob for 226 feet 10 inches, breaking the previous world record.

Collins brought along an entourage of various airplanes for his presentations, each made with a unique method of flight in mind. Basic planes for distance were shown, along with some specialty products.

A plane resembling a maple seed spun like a helicopter as it slowly glided toward the ground. A “boomerang” plane would always return to the thrower during its flight. A tiny plane made out of tissue paper was able to stay afloat continuously using the airflow it creates while in flight as long as a surface was underneath it.

The presentations offered a divergence from the standard studies of the day while also giving the students a chance to learn early concepts of aerodynamics. Dihedral angles, center of gravity, lift, air flow and more were described to the elementary kids. The day became a deep dive into why paper airplanes fly and helped inspire interests in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) concepts.

The annual STEM Family Literacy and Learning Night comes off the heels of increased interest in science and technology from East Union, with an increased presence of computer science in curriculum, which has been growing since the pandemic, and a STEM Next grant being awarded for Marcus Patten’s class.

After classes ended for the day, elementary students were invited back to the school for an additional presentation for them and their parents. The night functioned as a meeting of three different required parent-focused presentations, crossing literacy, computer science, and STEM information for the parents, allowing them to interact with the teachers guiding their students.

This additional presentation offered more details on various paper airplanes for the kids, along with a special complementary book with instructions on how to fold a variety of more complex paper airplanes were gifted to students who arrived for the presentation.

While parents were folding basic airplanes, the students were encouraged to use the book to make more complex planes. Collins provided assistance for any intrepid students wanting to explore more complicated construction.

One student, Charlie Shipley, was struggling with his creation, a small ring the size of a can of tuna that that spun as it flew. He threw it once, and it dropped quickly to the ground. He tried again, same effect.

Shipley didn’t give up. He checked with the kids around him working on the same plane, and then went to Collins’ table, which featured a multitude of different planes. He checked his work, made some modifications and threw it again. This time, it flew.

Days like the STEM day at East Union help build deeper concepts of scientific inquiry. Just as Collins was able to find early interests and use them later in life, so can the students of East Union.