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Bernalillo Elementary School sees first 'Balloons Aloft' event

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Michael Romero, Jennifer Taraddei and their children, Ayden and Asher, watch a balloon being filled up with hot air behind Spartan Learning Academy on Oct. 3, 2025. The event was part of "Albuquerque Aloft," an annual educational gathering before Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque to teach students about piloting a balloon.
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Students, parents, faculty and staff from Bernalillo Elementary School and Spartan Learning Academy watch as team members from Sunset Rise fills their balloon on Oct. 3, 2025, as part of "Albuquerque Aloft," an annual educational event before Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque.
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Al Lowenstein, owner of The Balloon Flight School, lifts off from his balloon from a grassy field between Bernalillo Elementary School and Spartan Learning Academy on Oct. 3, 2025, as part of "Albuquerque Aloft," an annual educational event before Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque.
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Al Lowenstein, owner of the Balloon Flight School, helps team members from Sunset Rise fill their hot air balloon on Oct. 3, 2025, as part of "Albuquerque Aloft," an annual educational event before Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. Lowenstein and his team visited Bernalillo Elementary School and Spartan Learning Academy.
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Michael Romero watches a balloon being filled with hot air with his son behind Spartan Learning Academy on Oct. 3, 2025, as part of "Albuquerque Aloft," an annual educational event before Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque.
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Michael Romero and Jennifer Taraddei, left, and Melanie Moschos and Corey Breiland watch a balloon being filled with hot air on Oct. 3, 2025, as part of "Albuquerque Aloft," an annual educational event before Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. The event was held between Bernalillo Elementary School and Spartan Learning Academy this year.
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Melanie Moschos and Corey Breiland pose for a selfie as a balloon is being filled with hot air behind Spartan Learning Academy on Oct. 3, 2025. The event was part of "Albuquerque Aloft," prior to Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque.
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Al Lowenstein, owner of The Balloon Flight School, goes to assist his team, Sunset Rise, Oct. 3, 2025, as part of "Albuquerque Aloft," an annual educational event before Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. The event was held between Bernalillo Elementary School and Spartan Learning Academy this year.
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Michael Romero, Jennifer Taraddei and their children, Ayden and Asher, watch a balloon being filled up with hot air behind Spartan Learning Academy on Oct. 3, 2025. The event was part of "Albuquerque Aloft," an annual educational gathering before Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque to teach students about piloting a balloon.
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Team members of Sunset Rise inflate their balloon with hot air
Kevin Opsahl
Kevin Opsahl Education Journalist
Published Modified

BERNALILLO — There were plenty of "oohs and aahs" from students, parents, faculty and staff of Bernalillo Elementary School and Spartan Learning Academy on Friday as they watched a hot air balloon launch to kick off the upcoming annual Balloon Fiesta.

The launch, held in the early morning on a grassy field between the two schools, was part of Balloons Aloft, an initiative that allows Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta pilots to bring their team to schools to educate students and their families about what they do. The initiative comes ahead of Balloon Fiesta, Oct. 4-12.

BES sixth grader Harrison Breiland said the balloon launch was "pretty cool" — as in "excellent" — and noted that he had never seen one blown up before.

Breiland's brother, Carson, a student at W.D. Carroll Elementary School in Bernalillo, simply gave two thumbs up when asked what he thought of the balloon launch. Moments before, he went right up to the balloon to feel it for himself.

Al Lowenstein, a balloon pilot who owns The Balloon Flight School in Albuquerque, assisted Sunset Rise with its balloon before lifting off to the amazement of everyone.

He said elementary schools are the perfect fit for the "Aloft" event because "kids love balloons, and balloons love kids."

"I've never found a kid that wasn't excited about a balloon — they're pretty, they're colorful, and they're noisy," Lowenstein said.

Lowenstein added that he hopes he can inspire students to be pilots.

Roselle Silva, a sixth grade science teacher at BES, successfully applied for her school to host a Balloons Aloft event this year.

"Not all of our students are fortunate to attend Balloon Fiesta," Silva said. "I wanted to be able to bring the experience to them."

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