Published: May 27, 2009 09:48 am      

Six flags over Bowie

San Marcos — For a dozen years students at Bowie Elementary have been traveling the world without leaving the building.

The school recently held its annual Six Flags Over Bowie program. This year the hallways were transformed in to the countries of Kenya, China, Egypt, Germany, Italy and Mexico.

“The events have always been based on teaching the kids about the history and culture and foods of the different countries,” said kindergarten teacher Marilyn Schulz, who has been at Bowie since the first six flags event 12 years ago.

“A bunch of us were moved from DeZavala to Bowie when kindergarten was moved to the elementary schools, and we wanted to have a cultural event that was different than what they do at DeZavala,” Shulz said.

What came was a two-day celebration of all things international.

Each grade level chooses a country to represent, and teachers work as a team to create that country within the hallway.

“Sometimes you’re not so lucky (when choosing a country) and when you’re not so lucky, you have to do a lot of research,” said Sandi Nace, kindergarten teacher.

Every classroom offers something different like African drumming in Kenya, ping pong games and chop sticks in China, mummies in Egypt, potato pancakes in Germany, gondola rides in Italy and Mariachi music and dancing in Mexico.

Teachers work for weeks preparing for students to rotate through the countries.

“It’s really hard the day before if you have the food part because you stay up all night the night before cooking,” Nace said. “You need all the help you can get.”

The day before Six Flags Over Bowie begins, an announcement is made to each classroom announcing the countries to which they will travel, then children receive passports that are stamped at every stop along the way.

“Then the morning of they do a take off over the intercom with plane noises and a flight attendant. Some of the kids get so into it. I had one student tell the flight attendant, ‘I’ve never flown in a plane before,’” Schulz said. “We have the kids thinking that they’re actually going to these countries, so we have to explain to them that it’s all pretend.”

Students are intermingled with other grade levels and spend one school day learning about a country, then switch the next day.

“If they (students) stay at Bowie through their whole school career, they’ll go to two countries a year, so they’ll end up going to eight countries total,” librarian Vicki Partin said.

Teachers said they learn from year to year what works and what doesn’t and what the kids like and dislike, but they all enjoy the excitement students have during the program.

“It’s just making memories, you know? Making memories,” Partin said.