Legacy Preparatory Academy sixth-grader Isaac Rodgers' first time flying in an aircraft didn't involve a trip to the airport and the requisite weaving through security lines, removing his shoes, and standing, arms outstretched, as an airport worker waved a wand across his body.
Nope. Isaac's first time flying was far different.
He was picked up by a helicopter outside his Woods Cross school as the student body watched him lift off the ground. The 11-year-old was whisked away for a scenic flight over Davis County last week.
It was a dramatic moment for Isaac, who didn't know his name had been randomly selected from a list of 89 straight-A students until he was called down, like a "The Price is Right" contestant, at an outdoor assembly.
After hovering and spinning around about 10 feet above the ground for a few moments as students watched, Isaac and a Mountain Ridge Helicopters pilot -- the training school donated the chopper ride -- flew away, returning a few minutes later for a high-speed flyby, which drew cheers from Isaac's classmates.
"It just felt cool," Isaac said when he was back on solid ground. "I want to fly a helicopter now."
Isaac got to fly over his house. What did he see?
"Our Halloween decorations are still up," he reported.
Fun surprises are part of new principal Dennis Bruno's strategy to inspire all Legacy Preparatory Academy students to strive for straight As. He's already wracking his mind for ideas that would top the helicopter ride.
"The next time will be even better," he said.
Several weeks ago, he planted a rumor into the gossip bloodstream at the charter school for grades six-through-10. Bruno told one student that each straight-A student would receive a laptop computer.
"All you got to do is drop a stone, and it started a ripple," Bruno said.
As predicted, the rumor spread fast. Soon, students were asking their principal about the laptop whisperings. He wouldn't confirm anything.
The strategy worked. From midterm to final grades, the number of straight-A students at the school jumped from 37 to 89. Nearly one-third of the student body now has A-laden report cards.
"I'm going to have 160 next marking period," Bruno said.
At last week's outdoor assembly, students learned the laptop rumors were true. Tenth-grade straight-A students will be the first to receive miniature laptops worth about $300 apiece. Bruno received the money from a federal grant. By Christmas, all straight-A students will have laptops, which they can take home each night and must return at the end of the school year.
As for Isaac, it wasn't easy earning straight As. He got perfect grades for the first time this semester.
His toughest class is Latin. For a while, he was unsure he would get an A.
Pressed to describe his unexpected helicopter ride in Latin, he thought about it for a moment.
"Optimus," Isaac said.
