Luke Elementary 8th Graders get STEM-fueled Field Trip

Eight graders from Luke Elementary School recently got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as they traveled to the Phoenix International Raceway to participate in “Beyond the Finish Line,” an immersive STEM experience centered around motorsports.

Phoenix Raceway Charities partnered with the Larry Fitzgerald Foundation, Cox Communications, and NASCAR to put on the event giving students a hands-on introduction to the exciting intersection of STEM and racing.

“I could see it in their faces and in hearing their reactions,” said Stephanie McKinnis, seventh and eight grade language arts teacher at Luke Elementary School.  “So many of them were getting to experience things that they never had before.”

When students first arrived at the Phoenix Raceway they were treated to a lap around the track in their school bus.  Following the pace car and accompanied by former Arizona Cardinals pro bowl wide receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, the students got to experience the scale and scope of the raceway from a driver’s perspective.  

From there, students rotated through four stations set up by the raceway.  At the first station students learned about a car, which included an under-the-roof tour and getting strapped into the vehicle.

“My favorite station was probably going in the NASCAR cars,” said Ally Pernudi, eighth grader at Luke Elementary.  “I thought that was really cool just because we got to see how it worked.”  

The next three stations had a STEM aspect to them.  At one station students learned about friction and conducted experiments with remote control cars on different surfaces.  At another they made cars out of cardboard and balloons and conducted experiments on how to make them go faster and farther.  At the final station students took apart an entire computer tower and put it back together.  

“My brother has been struggling in school, and this was an opportunity for him to go and expand what his interests are,” said Alexia Lopez, a volunteer at the school.  “He’s very hands-on and into mechanics.  He’s really interested in how things work.  He would always have a follow up question to have a deeper understanding of everything.”  

“I could see that the activities we were doing were something they would totally want to do in their future,” said McKinnis.  “One student was talking about how he took apart a computer and put it back together himself, and he was so proud.  It helped broaden their experiences and their minds.”

After the stations and lunch, the students were given the ultimate parting gifts.  They first received two tickets to the NASCAR championship race.  Cox Communications also announced that each student was being given a laptop of their very own to take home.

“When I realized that Cox Communications was giving us all computers, I was sitting next to my friends, and everybody started screaming,” exclaimed Pernudi.  “I was sitting there in shock.  My jaw was wide open.  I was so happy and so surprised they would do this.”  

All of the eighth graders walked away not only with gifts, but a stronger sense of how the world of racing works and how education and STEM play a part in it, something they will soon not forget.  

“I just liked how there were very kind people there to help us,” said Pernudi.  “They were very happy to have us there, and they were all about making sure we had a good experience.  I was really honored they picked our school.”