Credit: Pennsbury School District
Middle schoolers across the Pennsbury School District took part in a very special Engineers Week.
About 800 eight graders in the district’s three middle schools were able to take part in Zoom calls with several high-profile guests, including the CEO of Boeing, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, and Mae Krier, the Bristol Township woman who worked as a “Rosie the Riveter” and has advocated for recognition for the World War II home front crusaders.
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Last Wednesday, science students heard from Boeing Aeronautics engineers Hana McKee and Christina Bowen. The engineers answered questions from students about how planes fly and what engineers do.
“After learning about the very important factors in flight, students became the engineers themselves in a design challenge to build the best paper airplane,” said Pennsbury’s K-12 Curriculum Coordinator, Jamie Swanson. “Students designed and built their planes, then tested them for distance, stability, and placement of cargo loads. All of the eighth grade students participated in this challenge, then discussed with the engineers and each other what designs were the best.”
On Monday, the elected officials, Superintendent Dr. William Gretzula, and Boeing CEO David Calhoun recognized Krier for her role as a former Boeing employee during World War II.
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Calhoun surprised a thrilled Krier by announcing the company’s Rosie the Rocketeer bandana-clad flight robot will soon fly in a Boeing Starliner capsule to the International Space Station. The robot has previously flown on test flights.
Credit: Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class James K. Lee
In December, then-President Donald Trump signed the Rosie the Riveter Congressional Gold Medal Act that will award the Congressional Gold Medal to the women who served as Rosie the Riveters during World War II. The bill received bipartisan support and Fitzpatrick and Casey were backers of it. Krier has advocated for the recognition for years and traveled the country doing so.
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Casey interviewed Krier during a virtual fireside chat with students. She spoke to students about the space program and her trailblazing role during World War II.
“Persevere and never give up. Go do it!” she told students.
Boeing was also named as the newest Pennsbury Partner.
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“Getting to see Mae Krier was also very inspiring for me. She is a strong woman and role model who continues to keep helping others and I am proud she is from Levittown, PA just like me!” said seventh- and eighth-grade teacher Susan Mahoney, who works at William Penn Middle School.
“This was such a great opportunity for students to complete an activity in the classroom and actually discuss the scientific method with women who work in the field of STEM,” said eighth-grade teacher Tom Mellon, who works at Charles Boehm Middle School.
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