Health & Fitness
Western Students Take a Trip to Mars
As part of an International Baccalaureate Middle Years project, the students at Walled Lake Western High School created a temporary space colony in a cross-curricular project with the University of Utah.
This semester Walled Lake Western High School students and teachers worked collaboratively to create a Mars Space Colony at Walled Lake Western High School. Teachers involved in this collaboration included Jack Wellman, Kelly Weston and David Walther.
The focus of the project was the implementation of an MYP IB Unit entitled, "Pangaea United Mars Space Program.” This was an IB Middle Years Program cross-curricular project working in conjunction with the University of Utah’s Space Dynamics Lab. The project became an interdisciplinary, building-wide project including the Animation, Architecture, Art, Astronomy, Earth Science, Engineering, English, Marketing, Physics, Robotics, Social Studies, Television and Web Design classes.The final product included a self-guided, hands-on adventure where students could experience life on Mars.
Some of the features of the colony included a star room where students could identify various constellations; a plant-growth experiment comparing the growth of mizuna lettuce in Mars soil, Earth soil and an International Space Station substrate; and a Mars landscape with working models of astronauts, land rovers and rockets launching into space. Other areas included an exercise room where students could learn about the effects of low gravity on the body, and a galley displaying space food.
The end result was a successful learning experience for both students and staff.
For more information, contact Jack Wellman at jackwellman@wlcsd.org.
