The 2022 MISD Senior Tour — Students at Lawson Early Childhood School were more than eager to show off their school!

Note: There is an expanded photo gallery at the end of this article!

McKinney, Texas – After a virtual version of the tour in 2021, the McKinney ISD Senior Tour returned in person on Oct. 20, 2022, as a merry band of 33 senior adults, Superintendent Dr. Rick McDaniel, Board Secretary Stephanie O’Dell and Partners in Education Specialist Nancy Cowlishaw climbed aboard two blue and white MISD buses and wended their way on a day-long journey to Lawson Early Childhood School, Evans Middle School and the MISD Aviation program at McKinney National Airport.

The always highly anticipated annual event began 12 years ago as a way to give members of McKinney’s senior adult community an inside look at our school district.

At Lawson Early Childhood School, a contingent of students practice their greeting before their Senior Tour guests arrive.

“The Senior Tour is always one of my favorite events of the year,” said MISD Superintendent Dr. Rick McDaniel. “It’s always fun for the participants, but more importantly, it’s a great opportunity to share with members of our senior adult community the great programs that we have in place in our schools and the chance for them to meet members of our staff and our outstanding students.”

For 2022, the first stop of the day was Lawson Early Childhood School, where tour participants were greeted by Principal Susie Towber, members of her staff and a contingent of the school’s adorably enthusiastic four-year-olds, who were holding signs, cheering and generally melting the hearts of their guests.

Before tour members dispersed into guided groups, the students and Towber conducted introductory performances and presentations about their school. Then, the senior adults headed off to see the STEAM lab, outdoor learning/play areas, the school’s sensory pathway and the library, where some volunteers from the tour helped present the day’s read aloud to students.

MISD Secretary Stephanie O’Dell gets in on the fun as the 2022 Senior Tour arrives at Evans Middle School amid fanfare from the cheerleaders and drum line.

At Evans Middle School, a drum line and cheerleaders were waiting when the tour pulled up, and they happily ushered their guests into the library, where they were joined by Board President Amy Dankel and greeted by Evans Principal Dr. Paula Kent before enjoying lunch and student performances from the choir, theatre and orchestra students.

Then they were off to explore Evans, with student ambassadors leading the way to math and science classes, where the senior adults wrestled with math riddles alongside students and observed science demonstrations prepared and presented by Evans kids.

In the orchestra room, the school’s young musicians surrendered their violins and violas to their guests and tried their hand as instructors, teaching the senior adults the first song they learned at the beginning of the school year—the ever-popular “Hot Cross Buns.” And, while they weren’t quite ready for Carnegie Hall, the senior adults made a respectable showing for their first time.

An aviation student talks about the fabric used to construct the shell of the school’s current airplane build project.

The final stop of the day was McKinney National Airport, where the MISD Aviation program is housed in a warehouse-like space adjacent to one of the airport’s hangars. In the hangar, students led the group to one of the single-engine airplanes that MISD students built and answered questions about it as curious tour members poked their heads into the cockpit for a closer view.

Back in the workshop, students described how they constructed the outer shell of the current airplane build project out of a specialized fabric, as two other students demonstrated for another group the tools and techniques involved in riveting metal body panels for airplanes.

The seniors tried their luck at the controls of the school’s five flight simulators and found—as they veered off runways and in some cases simply plummeted toward the ground—that flying (even on a simulator) is harder than it looks.

Before they knew it, the day had reached its conclusion, and our tourists climbed back aboard the buses to return to Central Office.

Nancy Cowlishaw, helps organize the Senior Tour and serves as its host each year. “This was one of our best Senior Tour experiences that we’ve ever had,” she said. “Our students and teachers all did a fantastic job at Lawson, Evans and at the airport, and our tour guests were very impressed, not only with the programs available to our students, but with the students themselves. The Senior Tour really is a great way to showcase our district.”

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour — Lawson Early Childhood School

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School – Former MISD Board member Maria McKinzie

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School — Student Performance

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School — Students demonstrate how they use the school’s Sensory Pathway.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School — In the STEAM Lab!

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School — In the STEAM Lab!

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School — Students place objects in the wind tunnel device in the STEAM Lab.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School — Students place objects in the wind tunnel device in the STEAM Lab.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School — Students use the outside play/learning area at Lawson.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School — Students use the outside play/learning area at Lawson.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School — Students use the outside play/learning area at Lawson.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School — Students use the outside play/learning area at Lawson.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School — MISD Board Secretary Stephanie O’Dell helps a student as she moves through a kinesthetic/learning activity.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School — Students take part in a kinesthetic/learning activity.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Lawson Early Childhood School — Story time in the library!

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour — Evans Middle School

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Evans Middle School

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Evans Middle School

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Evans Middle School — Evans Drum Line

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Evans Middle School — Evans Cheerleaders welcome their guests!

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Evans Middle School — Members of the Evans orchestra perform during lunch in the library.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Evans Middle School — Evans choir members wait for their turn to perform.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Evans Middle School — Kylie Gray directs the Evans choir during a lunchtime performance.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Evans Middle School — Evans theatre students perform selections from “Freaky Friday.”

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Evans Middle School — Evans student ambassadors talk with tour participants during lunch.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Evans Middle School — Evans student ambassadors talk with tour participants during lunch.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Evans Middle School — The tour visits a science class.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Evans Middle School — MISD Board Secretary Stephanie O’Dell talks with students in their science classs.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Evans Middle School — Orchestra students teach tour participants the fundamentals of playing the violin.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at Evans Middle School — Evans Orchestra

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour — Aviation Program

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at the MISD Aviation program — After a rough first try at a simulated takeoff, an MISD aviation student resets the simulator to begin in the air!

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at the MISD Aviation program — Aviation students demonstrate the technique for applying rivets as they would during a plane build.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at the MISD Aviation program — Aviation students demonstrate the technique for applying rivets as they would during a plane build.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at the MISD Aviation program — One of the planes that MISD Aviation students built.

The 2022 MISD Senior Tour at the MISD Aviation program — Tour guests had the opportunity to get up close looks at the planes the MISD students built — and fly in!

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