In early June, the 3-5 grade homeroom teaching team was already beginning to gear up for the 2025-2026 school year. With our exciting theme for the year, "Blast Off to a Great Year," our team took advantage of an opportunity that was provided to us by a Darlington grant with a visit to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Each year, our hallway rotates between three dynamic themes, and this year’s focus on space exploration inspired us to step outside our classrooms and into the world of rockets, astronauts, and innovation. We loaded up the school van and set off on a day trip full of energy and excitement. The journey gave us valuable time to connect, laugh and spark creative ideas as we prepared to launch the new school year in August.
Our visit to the Space Center was more than just educational and energizing. Walking among towering rockets and interactive exhibits helped us brainstorm fresh, engaging ways to bring the space theme to life in our classrooms this fall. We imagined transforming each homeroom into its own unique space mission, complete with team names, goals and classroom decor. During the school year, we continued to make connections to our space exploration theme that included a full space-themed day the first week of school. A highlight of our trip was enjoying a delicious lunch together at Tupelo Honey in Huntsville, followed by a sweet stop at Lookout Mountain Creamery and Dessert in Fort Payne, Alabama, on our way home. These shared moments reminded us how important it is to continue to strengthen our bonds as a teaching team.
To keep the momentum going, we also purchased matching space themed shirts that we wore during our first "Blast Off to a Great Year" event with students. Wearing them not only united us visually as a team but also signaled to our students that we are ready to embark on an unforgettable journey into a new school year. Thank you, Darlington, for providing grant opportunities to our faculty and staff. This experience together has reminded this team that great teaching starts with fun adventures like this. With our teaching tanks refueled, the 3-5 grade teachers have been making this school year the best one yet!
Click here to see more photos from our trip.
Professional growth and development are high priorities for Darlington. Each year, faculty and staff members participate in a professional growth cycle that includes professional learning communities, professional development days, and the ability to apply for professional development grants which fund conferences, travel, workshops, instructional supplies, outside speakers, and more. This blog series will highlight some of the opportunities that faculty and staff have participated in since they were awarded 2025-2026 Thatcher Grants last spring.
