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| Alex Debirk has been a vital contributor to both the CMSEC and the Space Academy over the Years |
The three squadrons (30 students) are composed of students in grades 5 through 8. The first squadron launches aboard the Starship Voyager on Tuesday. The AHS cadets will join the Space Academy's other 14 squadrons.
The Space Academy offers the best space club available to Utah's students. Our cadets fly 9 month long missions aboard the Starship Voyager, attend leadership training workshops taught by Major Vidinha, receive space and astronomy lessons, and now can take a course in public speaking and debate. For more information contact us:
Director@SpaceCampUtah.org
Alex DeBirk became a teacher at American Heritage School after a career in structural engineering. He has designed buildings as large as a skyscraper, as small as a concession stand, and even spent some time with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, working on future satellites and lunar rovers. He received an MS in civil engineering with a emphasis in structural engineering, mechanics and materials from the University of California at Berkeley, and a BS from Brigham Young University with a minor in Japanese. Alex discovered his passion for teaching in high school when he started operating the experiential learning simulators (two of which he designed) at Pleasant Grove’s Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center, or CMSEC and Renaissance Space Academy in Lehi where he designed the school's Starship Voyager.
Renaissance Space Academy Adds Public Speaking and Debate to its Cadet Curriculum: Better Captains and Better Volunteers will be the Result
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| A good young captain should know how to properly debate his alien adversary |
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| Cadets from the Middle School Cobra and Scorpion Squadrons during their speech and debate class |
Public speaking and debate are skills needed in the real world of school and work. To that end, the Space Academy is offering a formal public speaking and debate class to all 200 cadets and volunteers taught after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays by master educator Camden Robinson in his classroom at Renaissance. Mr. Robinson is the Academy's middle school history teacher. He also directs the Space Academy's InfiniD missions for our 3 - 8th graders.
Recent Christa McAuliffe Space Center Weddings. Congratulations!
Josh and Jordyn Anderson
January 4, 2020 was the big day for long time CMSC volunteer, supervisor, and flight director Josh Anderson. Josh and Jordyn had a beautiful reception in Provo and will make their home in Bountiful. It is good to see happy beginnings like this, especially someone who I had the privilege of working with and seeing grow up into an outstanding person.
January 23, 2020 Jake Hadfield and Lissa Eagar
For six plus years Jake and Lissa have known each other from their work at the Christa McAuliffe Space Center. It is where they met and fell in love; another Space Center family. It never dawn on me that families would be created because of the Space Center when I founded it way back when. I'm sure Jake and Lissa will not be the last. Several more will come over time. Congratulations to two wonderful young people!
James Porter wrote this on the CMSC's Facebook page.
"You know those fun old photos you find where the people were young and had no clue that they were with their future spouse. Turns out it is pretty easy to find one when they've been volunteering, scaring crews, dressing as space pirates, calling from Deck 5, and so on for over seven years together.
Congratulations to Jake and Lissa and we wish them all the best on their many continued adventures."
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