Inhabiting a new place in learning — like Mars

  • Published
  • By Krista Starker
  • Hilltop Times Correspondent
OGDEN, Utah --  Mars is a barren planet void of all life except for one day out of the year when it becomes "inhabited" by local fifth graders.

This year's Mission to Mars program was held Tuesday Dec. 17 at Weber State University. Fifth graders from several schools around the area answered the question, "What do you need to survive on Mars?"

Upon arrival, the students were divided into groups; each group contains students from at least three different schools.

"Each school has been working on this and learning about Mars since September. When they come each group brings a piece for the habitat they are going to build. Then they learn how to work together as a team to bring all the pieces together," said Judith Maughan, school liaison officer.

Not only did the Mission to Mars program get a new location this year, it also gained some new groups to the mix. This was the first year that a special needs group participated in the event. Tammy Custer, EFMP Family Support, worked with the children and the families of the group and said she was very happy how everything turned out.

"I think it was good for the non-special needs students to see them participating in an event like this. And I think it was also good for the special needs students because it allowed them to learn how to react in this type of environment and situation," said Custer.

Students first weighed in their lunches in order to figure out how much they were bringing with them. They would weigh again afterward to see how much waste they would produce including wrappers and containers. To earn points, they needed to stay within a certain limit.

They gathered in the giant ballroom to build their habitats. Once the habitats had been built, students were able to enjoy their lunches inside their habitats.

After that it was time for everyone's favorite game show Martian Idol, where each group goes on stage to perform songs. The only rule is that each song must be about Mars.

Some children changed the lyrics to current popular songs such as "Roar" by Katy Perry or "Best Song Ever" by One Direction. Some kept it simple and sang their lyrics to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."

Two winning teams were selected at the end of the day for their performance, habitat, and their knowledge about Mars. Each winning team received a plaque.

"They all did a super job. It is fun to have a program like this to get students excited and thinking about science, technology and math," said Maughan.

Col. Thad Hill, 75th Force Support Group commander, served as honorary commander of the Mission to Mars.

Many volunteers from the Weber State University STEM program, as well as 42 volunteers from Hill AFB, made the mission possible.