Wednesday's News, and the Imaginarium

Hello Troops,

As of today there are no new developments regarding the renovation of the Space Center.  The renovation hasn't started.  Stay tuned for developments.  

I'm working at two schools until the renovation is complete.  I start every morning, as I have for the last 13 years, working the school's crosswalk at 100 N.  I'm an interesting sight standing on the curb wearing my fluorescent orange pumpkin vest.  

At  9:00 A.M. I teach the advanced 6th grade math class.  I have 18 of the district's sharpest students for 90 minutes.  At 10:30 I jump in the Battlestar and, with sails unfurled, set course for Shelley Elementary School in American Fork.   

Shelley's principal, staff and students are great to work with.   I monitor the students in the lunchroom and playground from 11:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M.  My lunch break goes from 12:30 to 1:00.  At 1:00 P.M. I work with the school's five 6th grade teachers.  They have large classes and are happy to have extra help. 

Matt Ricks comes out to help on A day afternoons.  Matt works at the Space Center as a programmer and tech.  On A days he comes in as a  high school intern.  Matt will work in Shelley Elementary's second computer lab helping the teachers teach their students how to produce multimedia presentations.   

I'm back in my pumpkin suit doing sidewalk and street duty at the 2:15 and 3:30 P.M. dismissal times. My day ends at 4:00 P.M.   If necessary I'll stop at Central on my way home to deal with the trickle of Space Center business that comes in during the day.   

They say a change is as good as a rest.  I agree.  For the first time in 30 years I'm working at a school other than Central!  There are new faces, new smells, and new routines.  The students all know who I am.  

"You're the guy from the Space Center!" I hear constantly when working in Shelley's cafeteria.

"When are we going get to go?" is the most common question they ask me.  

They fear the Center will not open this year.  The teachers remind them that Shelley sends both the 5th and 6th grades to the Space Center.  The 6th graders got to go last year.  The 5th graders will get to go next year if the Space Center doesn't open this year. 

Refunds 

The Space Center is in the process of refunding people's tuition for the August and September canceled camps.  Twenty three refunds went out on Tuesday.  Central's secretary hopes to get the rest of the refunds out next week.  I want to thank everyone waiting for a refund for their patience.  Our school secretary has been buried with start of school paperwork.  

Space News.

Voyager 1, NASA's 1977 iPod, turns 35

The Space Center's Voyager simulator wasn't named after the Star Trek series Voyager. The Voyager was named after Voyager 1, NASA's space probe built to explore Jupiter and Saturn.  

Today, Voyager 1 is approaching the cusp of our solar system in search of alien civilizations.  Voyager 1 carries with it the Sounds of Earth record to the distant stars. 

  

Read more about this amazing little space craft our Voyager was named after.  

Take me to the article. 

The Imaginarium

The Imaginarium is where we celebrate the miracle of human imagination.  

An A grade for most innovative slippers.

Who Knew that Dolores had a passion for anything other than her cats!?

This Cylon deserves your respect and your pocket money.

Who wouldn't send their young child to school without this unique crayon holder!?

Junior would be the talk of the school.

Fantastic idea for preparing your fellow passengers for the most miserable journey of their lives.

An A for originality.

I forgot, Quittage practice after school today

A special brew

This would make television watching more a sport.

I need to hang this up near the Space Center's office!

Awesome, isn't it.

And finally, something to amaze you.

Now, best stop for the night.  I've got to do my finger exercises so I can be prepared to help all those little ones in the cafeteria peel the top off their pudding packs and pry open their chocolate milk  :)

Mr. W. 

The Inspiration that Became the Space Center

I was once asked if I had any heroes.
I do.

The Space Center started with a simple assignment.  In 1983 I student taught at Central School.  My cooperating teacher asked me to teach the science unit on space.  I was to be evaluated by both Mr. Thompson and my university supervisor.  It had to be unforgettable.  I wanted an A.

I had recently watched Carl Sagan's Cosmos on television.  In Cosmos, Carl Sagan took an imaginary spaceship on a voyage deep into the universe to explore what was out there.  We went along for the ride.

I knew what I had to do.  I would recreate Cosmos in a classroom at an unremarkable school in the center of a small town called Pleasant Grove. We would take a Sagan like journey in a make believe ship to experience the science and majesty of space.  Who knows what and who we would discover.

Carl Sagan was an amazing man and astronomer.  He is one of my heroes.

 Take a moment and listen him speak about mankind's future, in his own words.

Mr. Williamson

Who Pays for All This?

Sen. Jake Garn and Superintendent Steven Baugh at the Center's Grand Opening
November 8, 1990

Hello Troops,

 "When do we get to come back?!" is the question asked most often by the preteens and teens who attend our Space Center camps and private missions.  I like that question.  It tells me we are doing something right.

There are many museums, planetariums, clubs and camps that would love to hear their visitors ask that question more often. These organizations champion the cause for innovative education but sometimes forget one important aspect to survival in this industry -  a carefully blended mixture of education and entertainment.  The Space Education Center is one of the nation's best examples of a successful school / community partnership which unapologetically champions the inclusion of 'play' in its educational programs centered on the Utah Core Curriculum.

Carl Sagan's Message to the First Humans on Mars.  

The Dance Between Science and Science Fiction.  3 minutes

The Alpine School District houses the Center at Central Elementary.  The public supports the Center by attending Space Center field trips, private programs, camps and classes.  The fees charged for after school programs provide the funds to build new simulators, upgrade existing simulators, purchase new Starlab Planetariums and enrich our curriculum offerings.  All of this makes the Space Education Center a uniquely successful school / community / business partnership.

"Who pays for all of this?" is the second most often asked question at the Space Center.  It is asked by two types of people;  those hoping to prove the school district is wasting tax payer money, and those amazed that such a facility exists in a public school.

Public support of the Center also comes from the thousands of people who've volunteered over the years.   

I explain the Center's school / community partnership to both groups.  Those who ask in hopes of discovering extravagant waste are surprised to learn that most of our budget comes from people like themselves who send their children to our camps and classes.  They are impressed by the fact that THEY are the ones who provide much of the Center's budget through their attendance, fees and donations.  Those who ask out of amazement are surprised to learn that Central is a normal Title I neighborhood school.

"So, this isn't a special school for smart kids?" they ask.

The interior of the Phoenix Simulator.
Yes, it is an amazing place!

"Nope," I reply.  "This is neighborhood school just like the one your child attends."

"Amazing.  I never knew we had such a place.  This is amazing!"  is the usual response.

Who pays for all this?  You, the good people in our communities pay for this through your support of the Alpine School District and the Space Education Center.  I thank you for that support on behalf of the 24,000 people who attend our programs every year.  We ask for your continued support while the Center is closed for repair and improvements.

I know some of you had your camps and private programs canceled due to our renovation.  I apologize and remind you that the Center will be a better place when it reopens.

Thank you for your patience,

Mr. Williamson