Balloon Assembly Lifts Kids' Minds Up, Up and Away

principal Dr. Sue Caryl Fleischmann and parent-teacher association members treated students to the school's first ever hot-air balloon assembly Wednesday morning in the field outside the classrooms.

Children from grades one through five and three-year-olds from a privately funded pre-school program formed a large circle around a soon-to-be-inflated hot-air balloon as pilot Carroll Teitsworth and his helpers prepared for launch.

The entire flight was conducted by Liberty Balloon Company of Groveland, NY, and in addition to a fun show, teaches children "about science, air currents, weather, and thermodynamics," said Fleischmann, who was first introduced to the program in 1999 when she was an assistant principal in Seaford.

"It is amazing how the students reflect the personality of the leadership," Teitsworth said. "Dr. Fleischmann's enthusiasm has spread right through the school." Teitsworth has been ballooning since 1975 and administering the program since the mid-nineties to audiences ranging from pre-schools to juvenile correctional facilities.

As anticipation for take-off brewed from both students and teachers alike, warmth emanating from the little ones' smiles and the heat of the balloon's jets melted whatever frost was left on the ground. Teitsworth requested that the children pay specific attention to four aspects of the upcoming flight, including the balloon's size, what has to be done to promote its ascent, what makes the balloon descend, and what effect wind has on the huge orb.

"Should the wind blow a little, you will notice what a significant effect even a tiny amount has on the balloon," Teitsworth said to his awestruck audience as the fully inflated bulb easily towered over Hampton's two stories while still on the ground.

Fleischmann was the first person to experience the basket-level view, rising into the air among jubilant cries of "don't look down!" and "tell them to let us in next!"

Shouting down from the air, Fleischmann said "it's the most peaceful, soothing ride you ever want to be on and the scenery is astounding!"

After Teitsworth deflated the balloon outside, the children moved into the gymnasium for a slideshow presentation on the science and history of balloon aviation. Afterwards, he re-inflated the balloon inside the gym for students to walk around in. "They get as much a kick out of that as they do watching it fly," he said, "although sometimes they tend to think of it as a bounce house!"

In the interest of discouraging any bouncing, Teitsworth initiated discussions about "the weight of air and why the fabric is so resistant to tears," while students traipse around inside the spherical behemoth.

Fleischmann said the teachers will offer follow-up lessons using Liberty's website.