This past week the AP Chemistry classes we’re preparing for flight.

Not their own flight, but that of miniature hot air balloons. The two AP Chemistry classes split into four or five groups per class and worked from a detailed instructions guide.

“It was a fun project, and cool to see how something so big can be downsized to become a class project,” junior Adam Munn said.

First the students created a template for the panels of their hot air balloons. After this they traced the template onto eight sheets of tissue paper, and glued the tissue paper panels together to form the shape of the balloon.

Friday was Flight Day and AP Chemistry teacher Melissa Minton brought her students outside to send up the balloons. The one that flew the highest climbed to the top of the school building before it slowly floated back down.

“I was so into this project,” junior Nicole Desmet said. “I don’t get to do creative things very often in my classes, so this really accessed the right side of my brain, planning out the color design of the balloon, putting it together and letting it fly.”