Our Last Field Trip for 2009-2010. And Now We Sleep.

Hello Troops,
Monte Vista Elementary's last two sixth grade classes finished our 2009 - 2010 school year field trip program today. The bus arrived at 2:00 P.M. and departed at 6:00 P.M. The students did the mission "Supernova". Lorraine taught the classroom and Aleta and Lorraine did the Digitarium presentation. Yes, you read that right, I wrote Digitarium. The Space Center's brand new $27,000 portable planetarium is here and is it something wonderful! Aleta and Alex A. spent the last several days learning how to operate the computer and projector. It is more complicated than our old Starlabs but what a picture! It's color, and because the projector displays a computer image we can show everything up on the dome a computer screen will display. This will open the door to new and exciting planetarium presentations.

Our New Digitarium Planetarium. Aleta Clegg Director

I took a few snapshots of for the scrap book as our way of officially saying goodbye to a good year. We have a small overnight camp tomorrow night (Thursday). We will be hosting students from Idaho. We have another overnight camp on Friday with students from Ridgeline Elementary School. We have a few down days for summer prep, then reopen on June 4th and 5th with a full slate of private programs. Our first EdVenture Camp starts Monday, June 7th.

This is how you get in and out of the Digitarium. The kids are blurry because Mrs. Houston unzipped the dome (there is no tunnel like the Starlabs). We have to let 5 out at a time so the dome doesn't loose all its air. When she says "Move" they move!

The last student is out and Lorraine is zipping up the dome for reinflation. Mrs. Clegg is still inside working on a few bugs. The Digitarium is complicated and will take some time to learn all its functions.

The students are lined up ready to go outside for a snack before their science lesson in Discovery.

The students get a 15 minute break on the school's east lawn. This picnic area represents the work of two boys for their Eagle Scout Projects.

After their snack, the students go to Discovery for their science lesson. Mrs. Houston was their teacher today.

Mrs. Houston, at her station waiting to provide chills and thrills with a lesson on the light spectrum.

While one class is in the Digitarium and lesson, the other class is in the simulators.

The Odyssey crew is briefed, trained and ready to go.
The Voyager crew is receiving last minute instructions from Emily, their flight director.

Zac is the waiting to go to the Voyager Bridge. He is the Bridge Officer for this mission. He makes his grand entrance when Emily leaves for the Control Room.

It is 6:00 P.M. and time for our last field trip to depart. This is the end for the school year 2009-2010. A great year!

And now I rest after 18,253 students. A new 19 year attendance record. Please do not disturb.........Shhhhhhh

Sleeping,
Mr. Williamson

One Simple Rule at the Imaginarium

Another Saturday At the Space Center

Hello Troops,
The Overnight Camp went well. I didn't sleep well. Some weekends are better than others. The campers were from Orem Elementary. Again I can happily report they were awesome. We get some really great kids attending our camps. It makes doing this every weekend worth it.

There's news to report. Shall we start with the really cool and work down to the completely trivial?

This is Warren. Warren has been at the Space Center for years. His older brother Gary worked here before him. Warren is a Supervisor in the Magellan. Warren had good news to share. He received an LDS mission call to Frankfurt Germany. He enters the MTC on September 15th. Of course he's excited (his German isn't too bad either).

This is Emily shaking hands with Wyatt. Isn't Wyatt special? We've been working on his social skills for a few years now. This weekend we can report success! After several false starts, Emily (one of our bright and upcoming therapists) got Wyatt to to extend his hand to shake hers. We were all so proud. I'm not ashamed to admit there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Our Center has a proven success record in working with video game shut ins. Some of our graduates have been spotted out of their homes! Others are starting to talk to people they don't know!

OK, what's this picture really about? We are celebrating Wyatt's promotion to Flight Directorhood. Wyatt spent several months training to Flight Direct and today his hard work and frayed nerves paid off when Emily (Odyssey Set Director) presented his dress blues during out post camp meeting in Discovery. Wyatt is now ready and able to direct your next Odyssey mission. Congratulations Wyatt!

This is Zach. That is Stacy, Set Director for the Galileo. Zach passed the Galileo second chair position during the camp. He is now qualified to proudly wear the Galileo Pin on his lanyard. What does that mean? It means we trust him to run the audio, video and computer systems for the Galileo. Wow, so much responsibility for one so young yet that is the kind of volunteers we have at the Space Center.

This is Brandon. Brandon is dressed as a Magellan Security Officer. Brandon was awarded his One Year Service Pin today. Thanks Brandon for being a part of our elite group of movers and shakers at the Space Center.

This is Stacy. You remember her from an earlier picture. Stacy has found a way to make herself useful. She is testing our new twirling red alert lights recently purchased to help create the settings for our simulator's landing parties. We bought 12 of them I believe. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Yes you are. If demand for our camps and classes evaporate we could retool the Center into a pretty cool disco dance hall. Groovy Man........

Finally and firmly in last place we have Jon and his, his...... his........ (what is that?) hummmmm....... his........... It's his 'thing a majig'. Yea, that's what it is.

Wait, I know what that is. It's Jon's 23rd century automatic tea dispenser. How stupid. I should have known that. It makes a really nice British style cup of tea - and - using a nuclear powered heating system, keeps the tea warm until ready to dispense. Jon is going ship to ship offering the Flight Director's a nice cupper to keep 'em going. Jon's a good bloke.
(don't ask me what it really is. It's been floating around the Center for a few years now and used as a prop for everything from an alien communication device to a food mixer).

Anyway, so much Saturday at the Space Center. See what you're missing by not being here?

Simply,
Mr. Williamson