Chicago Real Estate Leader, RE/MAX, Launches Hot Air Balloon Educational Program At City Schools

The Philip D. Armour School, 950 W. 33rd Pl., and Hanson Park School, 5411 W. Fullerton Ave., recently became the first Chicago Public Schools ever to receive a visit from the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon. The balloon and its crew came to the schools to present a special interactive educational program as part of an on-going balloon education program developed by the Chicago real estate leader.

The program, which has been in operation for more than 15 years, was recently revamped so that the balloon envelope could be partially inflated indoors using cool air. This made the program suitable for the many Chicago schools that lack an unobstructed outdoor area of at least 200 by 200 square feet required by the hot air balloon.

On Nov. 14, the balloon was at Hanson Park School, and on Nov. 18 the balloon and its visited Armour School. At each school, students were treated to a presentation about various aspects of ballooning, including its history, the scientific principles involved and a demonstration on how the balloon functions. At Armour, favorable weather and ample space made it possible to briefly inflate the 75-foot-tall balloon outdoors, and Shelley Cordova, principal of the school, said the program was an outstanding success.

At Hanson Park, less favorable weather confined the program to the school gymnasium, where the balloon envelope was partially inflated so that the students could walk inside it. To accommodate all students, the program was presented twice.
Both school visits were sponsored by Chicago real estate leader, RE/MAX Northern Illinois, the franchisor of the RE/MAX office network in the Chicago area.

“We restructured the program so that it could be effectively presented indoors when required, either due to weather conditions or because a school has limited outdoor space. As a result, we can bring the program to many more schools, and we anticipate that visits to city schools will be an integral part of this program,” said Jim Merrion, regional director of the RE/MAX network in northern Illinois.

The program, which is presented free of charge to the school involved, lasts about an hour and is suitable for students from kindergarten through junior high school. For more information, contact Bennett Schwontkowski of the RE/MAX Northern Illinois Balloon Team at 847-516-2910 or corpballoons@aol.com.