22nd First Flight Field Trip Makes a Welcome Return to Honda Center

The largest science of hockey classroom returned to Honda Center this week as the Anaheim Ducks welcomed more than 16,000 elementary students and educators from across Southern California for the club's 22nd First Flight Field Trip.
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With the theme of Turn Up the Energy, third through sixth grade students were able to experience learning about potential and kinetic energy through the sport of hockey.
Back to an in-person format for the first time since 2020, the First Flight Field Trip is the largest initiative of the Anaheim Ducks S.C.O.R.E. (Scholastic Curriculum of Recreation & Education) Program. Prior to arriving at Honda Center, students were provided free accompanying classroom materials that helped them engage in a variety of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts that supported this year's theme.

"It is special to have it back again live," said Ducks President Aaron Teats. "The kids have been working hard for a month learning about potential energy and kinetic energy. But for us, it's really using the platform of professional sports and connecting hockey with education to continue to move broader-based initiatives forward for our community."
Before entering the arena, attendees explored the "Playground" portion of the event in the Honda Center parking lot, where local educational organizations and corporations, including Discovery Cube OC & LA, Keen Ramps and EverFi, as well as 150 volunteers, partnered with the Ducks to provide hands-on exhibits and stage shows supporting the theme of energy.

Engineering teacher Nino Polizzi from Samueli Academy brought some of his high school students to First Flight to run interactive stations where they engaged with the younger students on fun projects that demonstrated storing potential energy and releasing kinetic energy.
"It's never too early to start relaying some basic concepts of the world around you," said Polizzi. "It's very rewarding to see how excited the young kids get about it. They're really picking up on it. And my kids are excited about showing and explaining it to them. It's a good kind of win-win."
First-time attendee Sphero brought several of their educational robots for students to simulate energy transfer in winning hockey face offs. The company's mission to transform K-12 education through STEM tools aligned perfectly with First Flight.

"There's a lot of data that shows that getting students interested in STEM at an early age keeps them interested as they move into high school and into college and further," said Nikolas Gatan, West Region Head of Sales for Sphero. "So what we want to do is inspire the creators of tomorrow to think creatively…and also give them the 21st century skills for the jobs that we don't even know exist."
As the attendees moved inside Honda Center for the "Classroom" portion of First Flight, they were greeted with the opportunity to watch a Ducks practice. The Turn Up the Energy program began as Wild Wing and Ducks in-arena host Sammy Donado joined several players on the ice for a series of skills competitions that demonstrated potential and kinetic energy.
The students' energy was high as Team Black, Team Orange and Team White brought the workbook lessons to life on the ice. As a first-time attendee, fourth grade teacher Joanne Roh from Schmitt Elementary in Westminster enjoyed the opportunity to expose her students to a different way to learn science. For many in her classroom, this event was their first field trip.

"We've been learning motion and energy, so hopefully what they watch today will relate back to their prior learning, and hopefully they can make a connection in a fun way," Roh said. "We're very excited and thankful the Ducks are providing all of the materials and complementary tickets. The students are hungry for some excitement outside of the classroom. It's a once-in-a-lifetime event for them."
Ducks defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, who competed for Team Orange, said he was proud of how invested the organization is in the community, especially through education.
"I think it works on a lot of levels," Shattenkirk said. "It's a great way to not only draw kids into sports and hockey, but to make learning more fun. There's so many different ways that you can teach kids. My mom is a teacher, so I'm very appreciative of events like this. It was great."
As a newcomer to First Flight this year, Team Black member Ryan Strome also appreciated the importance placed on education while providing an opportunity for students to connect to the game of hockey.
"If I think back to myself as a kid, and if I ever got to do something like this, it would be the coolest day ever," Strome said. "There are so many great values within sport. Any time you connect with the community, and especially children, it's amazing."

Fourth grade student Javier from Mattie Lou Maxwell Elementary in Anaheim said his favorite part of the program was watching the players shoot the puck, and he's looking forward to attending a game in the near future.
"It was the best place I've ever been to, mostly because you have so much fun here, and everybody is having a good time," the 10-year old said. "I think it really tied into hockey because you skate and shoot and it gives off energy. It felt like science, but also hockey."
As a 15-year S.C.O.R.E. participant, Maxwell Elementary fourth grade teacher Kristin Jones said that the First Flight program is one of the best facilitators of teaching science that she uses in her classroom due to the ease in explaining the material to the students and the strong connections the kids make with the concepts.
"Being here at this field trip just sums up the whole S.C.O.R.E Program because this is a chance for all of the kids that the Ducks work with, all of the schools, to come in together and really get to appreciate the program," Jones said. "The kids learn, plus it's fun, and they make memories that they will have for the rest of their lives."
For more information on First Flight and the Anaheim Ducks S.C.O.R.E. Program, visit
ducksscore.com
.