History takes off for South Fremont Junior High School students

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) - Eighth graders came to the Legacy Flight Museum in Rexburg to learn more about the advancements the flight industry has made since the Wright brothers took their first flight in 1902. The Legacy Flight Museum showcases flight history with a heavy focus on World War II and Cold War era conflicts.

John Bagley owns the building for the Flight Museum, and seeing the students walk through the museum and interacting with the planes reminded him of his youth.

"It's fun for me, because I remember when I was a kid, and I used to go hang out at the airport and Taft and Wyoming and where they were building planes and rebuilding planes and, when I was 17, I learned to fly," he said. "Airplanes have always been a big deal to me. And so it's fun to see the youth come in and and get a feel for history."

Something that Jaden Hill, one of the students at the museum today, will take with her.

"Just like, how amazing this opportunity is for all of us kids to come here and look at all the airplanes and everything," she said.

Jaden says she looks forward to sharing the memories of the day with others.

"So I have pictures, everything to take home and show people," she said.

One of her classmates, Aspen Stephens, took a different learning flight path today.

"Getting to ride in all the jeeps and airplanes."

She says being able to hope in a World War II era jeep and in the cockpit of a plane in the museum made history come a live for her.

"It's really cool to see everything about it," she said.

Another one of their classmates, Aileena Maddock, says the trip inspired her to pursue gaining further knowledge about planes and how they work.

"This is amazing knowledge to use and might as well use it now and carry on with life, because every bit of knowledge is useful for all of life," Maddock said.

Their teacher, Jaimie Wilson, who teaches eighth grade math at the school says as a teacher knowing she helped inspire her students today is a great feeling.

"It's always a good feeling to know that you've made an impression on the kids or the kids have been able to experience something in school that might help lead them go in a direction that might maybe get them into avionics or some career that not too many people go into," Wilson said.

She says for her, the first field trip they were able to take since the COVID-19 outbreak gave the kids a great experience.