Rochester students take their classroom to U.S. Bank Stadium

Nov. 3—ROCHESTER — Last week, Martell Dunbar Jr. caught a football that was thrown his way while standing on the turf of U.S. Bank stadium.

As a fifth grader, he was no doubt among the youngest ever to do so. But for Dunbar and the rest of his class at Gage Elementary, it was a unique chance to take their learning to arguably the biggest stage in Minnesota.

That became possible when Gage Elementary's fifth grade class was selected to take part in a field trip, hosted by the Minnesota Vikings and the Science Museum of Minnesota. It was called "Vikings Voyage" and was meant to help students learn how science applies to a game like football.

"To learn on the field that the Vikings play on, and that so many of the students watch ... you could tell that it meant so much to the kids," Gage PE teacher Joe Eveslage said.

The field trip took them both behind the scenes and on the field.

Kaiyu Vanthavong took a turn at charging the blocking sleds that the players use in practice.

The students didn't have a chance to meet any of the current Minnesota Vikings.

Although the opportunity to take part in the day learning at U.S. Bank Stadium was open to fifth grade students throughout greater Minnesota, Eveslage said that Gage was the only school that actually ended up taking part in the opportunity.

"It was a very special experience for the students. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the kids," he said.