December 14, 2023
Volunteer firefighters with Prince George Volunteer Fire Department Company 1 made their way to J.E.J. Moore Middle School on Thursday, December 14, 2023, to participate in unique and engaging lessons with a small cohort of 6th and 7th graders.
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SEE MORE PHOTOS: PGCPS on Flickr
Gathered in the school's bus loop, the volunteers arrived with one of their signature red-and-white fire engines, which would play a vital role in both morning-time lessons. Their visit began with a class on Moore's Dolphins team posing insightful questions to longtime volunteer firefighter & Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Foster. The questions were part of a lesson delivered by Mrs. Bowen & Mrs. Turano-Smith, where students were tasked with reading a nonfiction story about the history of fire engines and completing a KWL Chart. The chart aims to help students outline what they already Know, what they Want to learn, and what they Learned following their readings and one-on-one question-and-answer session with Mr. Foster.
Students asked a variety of questions, ranging from how they manage their water needs when responding to a scene, how they tackle brush fires, and what is involved in becoming a firefighter in their community. Mr. Foster answered each question for the attentive students, leaning on his decades of experience in firefighting and public safety.
Following the question-and-answer session, Mrs. Bowen & Mrs. Turano-Smith's students then made predictions about the upcoming egg drop and which of their classmates’ contraptions would keep their egg safe from a fall from the basket of the Company 1 ladder truck.
J.E.J. Moore Middle School students display their eggs following one of the four drops from the top of a Prince George Volunteer Fire Department ladder truck as part of their egg drop project. (PGCPS Photo)The egg drop event included students from Mrs. Humphrey's 6th grade PACE class and a small group of 7th graders who took part in the egg drop last year but wanted another chance to test their engineering skills.
With help from Company 1 firefighter Gerald Peade and cadet Ethan Farmer, four drops of increasing height were carried out, with students eagerly checking their eggs after each drop, looking to see if their design proved successful in protecting their eggs from damage.
By the time the testing was over, three eggs survived all four drops, showcasing the creative engineering skills of Moore's 6th and 7th graders.
The Moore Middle School community and Prince George County Public Schools thank Prince George Volunteer Fire Department Company 1 for donating their time and knowledge to support children in our community.