A Message from Mrs. Houston and an Update on the Simulator Program in Pennsylvania

Hello Troops,

We start the week with a windy Monday. 

Did I mention how much I enjoy my nice warm trailer?  The only sounds I hear are the trailer's heater, my keyboard and the wind as it blows in another winter storm. A trailer classroom is a blessing for a more independent minded teacher.


First, a short email to the staff and volunteers from Mrs. Houston.

Dear Staff,    
My heart is breaking for all in this community, the loss of innocent children,  dedicated teachers and a principal.  These are the kind of wonderful people I work with every day.  I try not to think of the fear these little ones may have felt, and pray it was brief.  I prefer to ponder upon the knowledge that the Savior was there and received  them into his open arms where they felt completely safe and loved.We are left with the horror of this senseless act as we try to understand how a young man who was not much more than a child himself could do this.  The key is found in replacing our fears and ignorance with knowledge.  Victor is right, look around you and see who needs a kind word, encouragement, or a friend.  Notice the unnoticed, make a difference.  We have bullies on our playground as young as six years old,  we need to take action to help especially them before things get out of control.  We all need to feel accepted and needed, and I know that our staff at the Center are the best examples of this in the district.  Thank you staff for being wonderful in every way,  you are simply the best!
With lots of love for every one of you!

Lorraine

Secondly, a few pictures from a test run mission in a classroom of the school where a new simulator is under construction in Pennsylvania.  Gary Gardiner,The director of the Pennsylvania, program wrote:

 Today I had the honor of running two live demo missions at the Shaler Elementary.  The first featured Mike Penn's GATE students, and the second featured a joint crew of GATE and Special Ed students.  We had about 35 kids in all, and both crews did a fantastic job.  The enthusiasm was so thick in the air that we had to use snorkels to breathe.  If the kids are this excited to run a 30-minute demo mission in their normal classroom, I can't wait to see their faces when they enter the real simulator when it's fully decked in all its glory of light, sound, and effects!

Here are some icky blurry photos of the kids in action.  My apologies for the low-quality photos.  Next time I'll bring Vera, my shiny new Nikon D5100.

Throughout the day we were pleased to be visited by Dr. Shipley, the SASD's superintendent, as well as a whole slew of enthusiastic teachers from throughout the school who wanted to see what all the mystery and buzz has been about.  The time simply flew by (just ask the kids!), but there will be plenty of other demonstrations down the road for those who missed it.  It was magical, to say the least.