The Troubadour: The Plans for Farpoint's First Simulator, The Vanguard, Take Shape. The Imaginarium.

Hello Troops,
A quick update from the good folks at Farpoint!
Last Saturday we met in my classroom at Renaissance Academy to make the final design changes to Farpoint's first simulator, the Vanguard. If you're a regular Troubadour reader, then know the design has gone through a few revisions over the last couple weeks - all necessary as you work out the problems and try to build the largest simulator on the smallest possible budget.
This is what we settled on...

Think, Battlestar Galactica Bridge with a small engineering bay, sick bay, transition room (yet to be imagineered) and YES, a Briefing Room all of our own! The Vanguard will be one sweet ship - or is it a sick ship using today's vernacular?
The Vanguard will have 26 computer stations for a crew of no more than 15. The control room will be the largest of any ship currently in operation. There will even be a small waiting room for parents with a video feed from the bridge! Tell me you wouldn't want to fly in this beauty.

The Creative Team at Work

I want to thank Chris Aldridge, good friend and member of our Space EdVentures Foundation board, for donating and setting up four computer stations in my classroom. Teaching 6th grade full time AND starting a new Space Center is very time consuming. One evening, just before our Space EdVentures Foundation board meeting stated, Chris asked me how things were going in my classroom. I told him how buried I was. He asked what took up most of my time. "Grading their writing," was my reply.

Later, Chris called me up and told me that he'd talked to some of the people he works with him at the School Improvement Network and told them of my plight. "They've volunteered to help you grade your student's writing," he said. The news made my day.
Not only has Chris found excellent, competent professionals to help with our writing projects, he purchased and installed the computers I needed to get the job done. The students will do their writing on Googledocs, thus giving the folks at the School Improvement Network access to the writing for grading and editing.
Thank you Chris and the good people at the School Improvement Network.