By Oro Grande teachers Carol Nowakowski and Dawn Smith

6th graders at Oro Grande Elementary had a quick introduction into the life of a journalist Thursday morning.

photo courtesy Carol Nowakowski

Students spent a day defining what a journalist does. They dived into the life of a journalist by coming up with questions, posting them in an online survey, and then writing an article on what their classmates did over winter break.

This was then followed by an onsite, real world current event reporting. Oro Grande Elementary School had a hot air balloon visit. Students were assigned to write an article that included pictures of the event and descriptions.

On the day of the event, students were given press passes to allow them the opportunity to gather information, photograph the event, and get up close and personal with the pilot and volunteers of their hot air balloon visit.

How A Hot Air Balloon Flies

By Olivia LeGrande, Alexis Martin  and Gunnar LeGrand

The Balloon Festival came to Lake Havasu City this weekend. Balloon owners went to schools to give students some facts about the balloons and the festival.

MATERIALS
1. A balloon is made of nylon
2. Some are made of rubber, polychloroprene.
3. A balloon is an air- tight bag with light material

PROCEDURE
1. Upload the basket from trailer and install burner.
2. Layout balloon on ground.
3. Inflate balloon with cold air.
4. Inflate balloon with hot air from burner.

INFORMATION

Joe (a balloon pilot that visited Oro Grande)  said -it’s easy to fly up and down but side to side is up to the wind. He has been flying 20 years without crashing. When the wind is 7 mph, you shouldn’t fly.

The balloon that went to Oro Grande is 6 years old and is 3,600 cubic meters. Joe flies for fun and enjoyment. Joe participates putting up the balloon by holding the crown

Fun Facts
1. The biggest hot air balloon is the Cameron Balloons.
2. The first passengers to ride a hot air balloon was a sheep, a duck, and a rooster.
3. The longest hot air balloon ride was from Japan to Canada

Oro Grande Elementary School Gets A Hot Air Visit

By Sarah Brown and Damari Campos
Photos by Sarah Brown

Students at Oro Grande Elementary School were visited by a hot air balloon company during the Hot Air Balloon Festival and Faire in Lake Havasu City this week. The company showed students the balloon and explained how it works.

In this picture, the balloonists are setting up, but what the students didn’t know was that it takes a lot of work and time to set up a hot air balloon.

The students were very excited to see it fly and some students were chosen to get into the basket. They asked questions and could see the flame up close. Sadly, because of wind, the balloon could not be launched.

During the visit, the students learned many things, including why they didn’t fly.

They learned the temperature can get to 120 Celsius (248 Fahrenheit) with the
propane tank on.

Tomis, one of the pilots, told students since the balloon inflated, they couldn’t fly it because safety is first.

A balloon can go high to 1,000 feet, but by then  those in the basket need an oxygen tank.

Hot air balloons are made of the same material as parachutes – nylon. Gloves must be used when handling the balloon from the basket. Piloting a hot air balloon takes a lot of hard work an appreciation.

In this picture, the balloon pilot is filling the propane tank with fuel which causes the fire to light, enabling the balloon to rise.

In this image, the balloon is taken down. It took lots of people to take it down and put it away. At the end of the day, the students had fun watching the balloon prepared for flight.