Space Camp students present at Community Council

September 7, 2018

Christopher Lomahquahu

Gila River Indian News

The Tribal Education department introduced the students who attended space camp in Hunstville, Ala., during the presentations portion of the Community Council agenda on Aug. 15. In their blue and green jump suits, the 20 students gave Community Council a summary of what they learned at the week-long space camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. 

This is the third year the Community has sent a group of students to space camp, which offers them a firsthand look at space exploration and aviation through hands-on workshops. 

The camp is known around the world as the center for exploration into the stars and teaches Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. 

The camp is popular among the GRIC students, and Tribal Education has organized the trip for students interested in STEM based subjects to attend each year. The ages of students that attended the robotics portion of the camp ranged from 12-14 years old. Two other groups attended the Aviation Challenge camp, which was separated into two groups Mach II for ages 12-14 and Mach III for 15-18 year olds. 

Kristopher Perkins and Iwalani Stone stood out among the students who attended the Aviation Challenge portion of the camp, and they shared their experiences during introductions. 

This was Stone’s third time attending the camp and she hopes to be a student instructor sometime in the future. “I want to major in chemical engineering…I really like the whole chemistry and what it involves…I have a passion for that and I know their school is great for that major,” she said.

Perkins was among a select group of students to achieve the top gun medal for his team’s performance during one of the final exercises of the Aviation Challenge. 

In a head-to-head dogfight, Perkin’s group flew a simulated air combat mission against their instructors. Perkins is a junior at Coolidge High School and said he is interested in military aviation.