Goodbye Titan, Hello Nighthawk. A Simulator is Renamed.The Nighthawk has a Bar Mitzvah Complete with New Set Directors and is Welcomed into the Fleet. The CMSC to be on French Television: "Fantastique! Quel honneur". From the Archives: Preparing for Summer Camp 2003 with Historical Photos. Theater Imaginarium.

The Nighthawk at Renaissance Space Academy

     The Space Academy at Renaissance is pleased to announce a renaming of the Titan.  As many of you Space EdVenturers know, the Titan is a mobile simulator owned by InfiniD Learning and on permanent loan to the Space Academy.  With that reassignment, and the simulators new purpose to act as a reconnaissance in and out strike ship within the Farpoint universe, Bracken Funk felt the ship needed a new name.  There were many discussions along with many suggestions but in the end Nighthawk seemed to be the best fit. It is a name that speaks the little ship's purpose. 

   

Spencer Baird and Jensen Caldwell Named as Nighthawk's Set Directors. The Nighthawk has a Bar Mitzvah and is Welcomed into the Space EdVentures Fleet. No More "Little Ship that Could" Jokes Allowed (although it will still have to join the Galileo as the Last Ships in the all Fleet Parades)

Jensen and Spencer take their new position very seriously

     
     In addition to the renaming, the Nighthawk also joined the big simulators in the Space EdVentures Fleet by having its Bar Mitzvah which concluded with the naming of the simulators new Set Directors.  Welcome Jensen Caldwell and Spencer Baird as real honest to goodness Set Directors.  They have the unenviable task of getting the ship ready for service as a Terran Space Command special forces surgical strike and stealth ship (hence their stern expressions in the photo above).  

    Spencer and Jensen have been with the Space Academy for a few years now. Both are flight directors in their own right and bi-center employees. In addition to his duties at the Academy, Jensen is a Hyperion flight director at the Telos Discovery Space Center. Spencer is a Level II flight director working at both the Discovery Canyon Grove Center and the Space Academy. 

     Renaissance installed exterior electrical plugs and internet access for the Nighthawk last week opening the door to the Nighthawk's official launch on March 1.  The launch ceremony will include a modest speech by Mr. Bracken Funk chosen for the occasion because I used my only good speech at the Utah County Person of the Year program two weeks back. An opened jug of Tampico simulated orange drink will be hurled at the ship from a safe distance (to avoid splashback) by yours truly followed by the tossing of glitter obtained from the school's art room (that part of the celebration may be canceled if we can't find someone willing to clean up the glitter from the playground).  Refreshments of WalMart glazed doughnuts and Gogurts will be on hand; a symbolic and honored gesture to the first Voyager and something longtime Space Center campers will appreciate. 

     Spencer and Jensen have much to do to prepare the ship.  They may need a helping hand or two if you've got a love for the little ships in the fleet. 

Mr. Williamson 

Le Centre Spatial à la Télévision Française

Translation: Great News! The Christa McAuliffe Space Center is to be Featured on French Television

Tabitha, having served an LDS mission to France, was the perfect person
to interview.

     A few months ago James Porter was notified that the French broadcasting group FLAIR was in the United States doing a documentary on the American space program and wanted to visit the CMSC to document the role experiential learning has in preparing the next generation of space explorers.  

     Flair Production is currently developing two documentary films that deal with the American moon conquest, new space technologies as well as  American space exploration.  The CMSC is to be included in the series.

     Mr. Porter said, "It was nice to be able to spread the message of the effectiveness of simulated learning to inspire and challenge the next generation of explorers."

Central Elementary students provided the crew for the mission filming on the Magellan

      Flair Production is a film production company headquartered in Paris, France. They produce and create a variety of content. This promotional video is from their website:

Flair Production - Bande Démo - Janvier 2016 from Flair Production on Vimeo.

From the Space Center's Historical Archives, The Space Center Journal. The 2003 Summer Camp Schedule. 

March 3, 2003 

A Young Camper with the "Happy Bucket"  Doesn't that bring back memories?

Hello Troops,
We are into March. The phone will start ringing off the hook for summer camp registration forms. The emails from the our web site will cascade in. This summer may prove to be our busiest yet - even with a national recession. That proves a couple of things. You can't beat the equation of quality and price, and parent's will still spend money on their kids in any type of economy. Those of you below the age of 18 should take a minute and thank your parents for the money they've spent on you over your short life span. Sometimes going without things themselves. Showing gratitude will never go out of style and is always 
appreciated. 

The Voyager's Security Ready for Anything

The Voyager's Communications Officer Decoding a message

I'm going to bullet several things in the rest of this Journal.

Summer schedule: 

Our summer schedule will be posted this week. There will be flights from the second week of June through the last week of July. We will be closed the first week of June and the first two weeks of August. Regular overnighters will begin the third week of August. We will also 
be closed the first week of July. I'm reducing the number of students this summer because of the school will be undergoing extensive construction. The school will look like a nuclear blast zone! In addition to the reduction of students I'm also going to reduce the time at camp. 

The Voyager's Captain and First Officer

Each week we will offer one overnight mission and one extended overnight mission. 

Extended overnight mission:
Begins Tuesday evening at 7:00 P.M. with 42 students just like a regular overnight mission
and continues to 9:45 A.M. Wednesday morning. At 10:00 A.M. I bus the 42 campers to Salt Lake City for an extended activity at Clark Planetarium. At Clark they will get an Imax show, Planetarium show, and time to tour the exhibits. We will leave Clark at 2:00 P.M. arriving back at the Space Center at 3:00 P.M. At 3:00 P.M. we begin a second rotation with a supper break from 5:30 to 6:00 P.M. The rotation will end at 8:30 P.M. We go swimming from 8:30 to 10:00 P.M. at Orem Rec Center.  We get back to the Space Center at 10:30 P.M. for a snack and bed. 

The stress is too much for the Voyager's captain

The campers get up at 7:30 A.M. on Thursday morning, eat a quick breakfast and load the simulators for a short 2 and 1/2 hour mission that ends at 10:30 A.M. We do a closing survey and points from 10:30 to 11:00 A.M. The camp ends at 11:00 A.M. on Thursday. 

Flight Directors - you will need to have a new 5 hour overnight mission ready and then also be ready with a private mission for the short rotation on Thursdays. 

The armed Voyager First Officer writing an update to Starbase

Another thing to consider is food. This summer Aleta and Bill will not be available to cook for us. This new schedule will make the meals easier. On day one they come to the Center at 7:00 P.M. so no need for supper. That night they get ice cream like any other overnight 
mission. Breakfast on day 2 is the usual for overnighters. We will pack sack lunches for the kids to eat at Clark in Salt Lake. That won't be a hassle. Supper on Day 2 will be pizza and pop or milk. Breakfast on Day 3 will be fruit, cereal, milk/juice, yogurt, and donuts. They leave at 11:00 A.M. so no need for a second lunch.

Staff hours will be:
Day 1: 6:15 P.M. to 11:15 P.M. (5 hours)
Day 2: 7:30 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. (2.5 hours) Staff will be off until 2:45 P.M.  2:45 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. (5.75 hours)
Day 3: 7:30 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. (3.5 hours) 
Total hours for staff per camp: 16.25 hours. 

Even though we won't make as much money on these reduced camps the stress level will be lower. 

Odyssey campers

Overnight Camps:

Regular overnight camps will be held from Friday evening to Saturday morning at 10:00 A.M. There will be no camps or private missions on Mondays. That gives each of us
Sundays and Mondays off - 2 days off per week like normal people!!!!! 

The only exception to this schedule will be our two Astrocamp joint camps. We will run regular 48 hour camps for those but only take the 40 Astrocampers. Hopefully Bill will be here to cook for those. 

The Phoenix communications officer

Flight Directors:
I'll need your summer stories this week! Remember, I have to arrange Hypercard tactical stacks and Bill needs plenty of time to do the video track. 

Also, Kyle needs your simulator and flight descriptions so we can launch our new website. I would like to do that this week. 

Challenger Center:

Three department heads from the Salt Lake Community College visited the Center last Wednesday. The SLCC is studying the visibility of building a Challenger Center to service northern Utah. They were extremely impressed with our Center and repeatedly commented on how such a facility could exist in Utah without them knowing about it. I get that alot. They are looking to become partners with our Center, Astrocamp, and the new Clark Planetarium as we work to enrich space education for Utah's students. We welcome them on board and wish them luck. 

The Phoenix Captain and First Officer

USS Pathfinder:

I've received word that our sister center in Logan (USS Pathfinder) will open for school missions this week. We wish Dave Wall and James Porter SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!

My final words:

THAT IS ALL.

Mr. Williamson  

Theater Imaginarium

The Best Video Clips from Around the World edited for a Gentler Audience. 

  

The Mysterious Presence at Lakeview Academy has been Identified and Hired. Posts from the Archives: A Report by James Porter from Logan. Space Center Trivia: Win a $10.00 Gift Certificate. Educators at Space Center Houston Fly a Dream Flight Adventure. Imaginarium Theater.

     Nathan King had no other option but to enlist the help of the great Tangina herself to solve the mystery of the simulators at the Lions Gate Center at Lakeview Academy in Saratoga Springs. His own investigation failed, the police failed, even Orkin - a company dedicated to the eradication of pests, failed to surface the spirit.  The medium was Nathan's last hope. 

"These Ships are Clean"

     As The Troubadour reported last week, the Apollo and Artemis simulators have been 'haunted' for lack of a better term over the last few weeks. Sightings captured by the school's security system proved something was there. This spooky presence unnerved the staff. It's one thing to deal with slime devils and first graders with runny noses, but a unseen apparition is quite another.  

     Nathan put a call out to Tangina, the world famous medium known for her work cleansing the poltergeists from the Freeling home, asking if she would accept the job. Luckily she had a two day opening in her schedule.

     "There is someone here," she whispered as she walked into the Apollo for the first time.  She reached into her purse and took out a crucifix. "Leave now. I'll come out once these rooms are clean."  Nathan, Pariss and Rick Veasey backed away slowly.  

     "You may want this," Nathan said laying a phaser on the floor just outside the sliding glass door leading to the Bridge. 

      "I'm quite alright, thank you." Tangina cleared her throat. "This will be easy work."

     Twenty-four hours later Nathan received a text from the medium stating her work was complete and she would be exiting the ships at 2:00 P.M. exactly - just in case the school wanted to have the local media on hand for the formal announcement of the cleansing. 

     True to her word, Tangina exited the Apollo right at 2:00 P.M. Her hair was frazzled, her dress was disheveled, and the recently applied lipstick missed the mark in several places. Her face shown her disappointed to discover the only media present was the school's  student newspaper editor and pimpled faced photographer.  She walked up to the camera, took her usual pose and spoke. "These ships are clean."  

    Nathan stepped forward to shake her hand. "What was it?" he asked.  

    "Not what was it. Who was it." She snapped her fingers and out of the dark control room stepped a person who clearly needed a bath and clean clothes.  

BJ Warner

     "BJ!" Nathan, Pariss, and Rick said in unison. And it was true. The 'presence' lurking in the simulator was BJ Warner himself.  

     Tangina reached out placing her index finger under Nathan's chin and pushed upward to close his mouth. "I take it you know him so I'll take my leave." There was an awkward silence. "My fee if you please, and I want a good tip. This one wasn't as easy as I had thought. I had to chase him down through every nook and cranny in those ships."  And with a snap of her purse, the great Tangina was out the door and into a waiting Uber. 

     "I knew you needed some help and before approaching you to offer my services, I wanted to see the ships and your staff in operation. Besides, I love this place, and with my help we can make your job easier and help the school reach its goals as far as the simulations go," BJ explained to Nathan's question as to why he was there.

BJ cleans up nicely

     And so our story ends with a Welcome to the Lions Gate Center BJ Warner. We can switch off the light we've kept on for you.  It is nice to have you back. 

Mr. W. 

PS. And with BJ's return, the space edventuring world is set to normal with both Warners back in the saddle; Megan at the Space Academy and BJ at the Lions Gate Center. 

Posts from the Past.  From the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center's Archives.  

Update by James Porter on the Pathfinder's Progress in Logan, Utah

February 26,2003

Howdy howdy howdy, time for a friendly update. 

     Today we hosted a principal's meeting for the school district. They talked about issues in the district. After a couple of hours we were given the chance to sell the idea of the Pathfinder. We told them about the program and what we hoped to accomplish. We then proceeded to the simulator for a brief simulation. A bit too much smoke gave15 weary principals a bit of a shot in the arm. One of the principals in particular came up to me and told me of the excitement he had in sending some of his students to the program. All in all it was a success.
     Beginning next week the Pathfinder will begin touring Cache School District fifth graders through the depths of space. Unfortunately with the late start, our current staff can only handle 16  out of 40 classes before April. If there are any flight directors with a love of commuting who may want to switch to the fun filled world of the Pathfinder, we are accepting offers. 

     We are in the midst of rejuvenating some less active staff up here. With the day field trips underway, we are planning on beginning an overnight program for Friday nights. This will be almost identical to the current program at the CMSEC.
     We are excited to announce that with the fixing of a Library station we have 15 operational stations. With the completion of all of the stations the crack shot Pathfinder developer crew is looking forward to a new engineering section of the ship. The new engineering section will include functions for both the Damage Control and the Environmental officer. An electrical board is in the works to attempt to outdo the well known Galileo engineering unit. All sizable donations are welcome and will allow the donator to have the honor of being a really nice person.
     That is all for now in the realm up north. We look forward to a time when a few privileged staff may visit this fine establishment. Also, look out for an announcement on an open house. If you have any questions feel free to visit our site at: www.pathfinderspace.com

-James Porter

Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center Trivia for Prizes

  

Hello Troops,

Let's have some fun with some historical trivia from the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center's archives. 

Prize: $10.00 gift certificate from Sodalicious 

Rules:  This contest is open to all Troubadours (readers of this blog).  

Answer the questions with each photo. Send your answers to Director@SpaceCampUtah.org.  First response with the correct answers wins. It is that simple.  

Photo 1:

This photo was taken in 2002. This shows a group of students heading home after an overnight camp.
     1.  List 5 things in this photo (relating to the building itself) which are no longer there or have changed.
     2.  What simulator is on the other side of the wall on the left?    

Photo 2

This photo was taken in 2002.  
     1.  Where was this taken?
     2.  What is on the other side of the turning door?
     3.  What creature used by simulators everywhere first made its appearance right here in the 1990's?

Photo 3

This photo was taken in 2002.  
     1.  Where was this taken?
     2.  What sat in this small alcove before the bunks?
     3.  What sat right over the entrance of this small alcove? 

Photo 4

This photo was taken in 2002.  
     1.  Where was this taken?
     2.  What ship sits there today?
     2.  What station sits exactly where Ryan is standing today?    

Dream Flight Adventures Presents at the Space Exploration Educators Conference at Space Center Houston

Hello Space EdVenturers,
     Dream Flight Adventures was started several years ago by Gary Gardiner.  Gary is a long time fan and former camper of the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center.  The Voyager simulator was his preferred home away from home as he grew up.
     Gary and his wife Sarah founded Dream Flight Adventures after moving to Pennsylvania.  It was their wish to bring the space edventuring experience to the masses. Their first research simulator was built at home. Gary did all the programming. 
    The IKS Titan was the company's first ship built at Shaler Area Elementary School at Glenshaw, Pennsylvania.  It launched in March 2013.  Today Dream Flight Adventures has eight simulators in three states and Venezuela.
     This is a short video clip explaining the mission of Dream Flight Adventures. 

Dream Flight Adventures at a Glance from Dream Flight Adventures on Vimeo.

     Gary and his family have since moved to Great Britain where Gary took a job at Holovis international.   Michael Penn is the company's general manager for North American operations and runs the company's day to day operations. 

     Dream Flight Adventures is a member of the Voyager Diaspora made up of companies and organizations which trace their beginnings and or inspiration to the mothership, Simulator 1, the USS Voyager.   

Simulator 1. The USS Voyager.
The Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center.

  

Educators at Space Center Houston Fly a Dream Flight Adventure.

By Admiral Starblayze 
From the Dream Flight Adventures Blog

A big shoutout to Mike Penn and Debbie Reynolds for their presentation at the Space Exploration Educators Conference at Space Center Houston!

Space Center Houston @SpaceCenterHou
In the sim classroom, we’re headed to Mars with our #SEEC25 team! Each group has been assigned a role, along the way they’ll need to fix the problems that arise…will they make it? #STEMeducation

Mike used a shrink ray to fit the IKS Titan simulator into his luggage.  They set up the ship, assigned the attendees roles, and sent them on a daring rescue mission to Mars.

Space Center Houston @SpaceCenterHou
Our #SEEC25 team has had some trouble on their way to Mars! From security alerts to environmental warnings, they’ve got a lot to do if they’re going to make it! It’s going to take a lot of teamwork! No pressure! #STEMeducation

Space Center Houston @SpaceCenterHou
Mission success! In an incredible display of teamwork and perseverance, the #SEEC25 team completed their mission to Mars while learning of the usefulness of sim classrooms to facilitate #STEMeducation!

Despite a few bumps and bruises along the way—no Dream Flight mission is complete without a hair-raising emergency, after all—the crew successfully completed their mission and rescued an astronaut stranded on Mars.  Well done to Mike, Debbie, and the entire crew! 

Imaginarium Theater
This Week's Top Videos Clips from around the world.  Life is good and Life is bad With Lessons learned along the way.  

Maeson Busk, Director of the DSC Canyon Grove, Defects to Disney. A Warrant is Out for His Arrest. Is it a Ghost or a Time Traveller Spotted at the Lions Gate Center at Lakeview? Your Help is Needed. The Space Academy Names the Volunteer of the Month. Mr. Williamson Wins An Award. Imaginarium Theater.

Maeson, Sydney and team for Maeson's last Mission

     A sad and happy day for our space edventuring friends at DSC Canyon Grove.  Director Maeson Busk performed his last duties and flew his last mission as a center director before leaving Utah for a seven month sabbatical at Disney World Orlando as part of the Disney College Program.  He will take classes and best of all, work at one or more of the Disney parks.  Wouldn't it be great if he ended up at Space Mountain! I can also see him directing his own Jungle Cruise boat!  
    Sydney Brown is Maeson's co-director and will continue at the helm at DSC Canyon Grove.  The program is in great hands. Sydney is the best!   

     Maeson did what I use to do, he took a moment at the end of his last mission to sit on the Everest's empty bridge and contemplate the magic and wonder of the place. I use to do that on the Voyager back in the day. 

     Occasionally, after everyone was gone, I'd turn on the background effects, dim the Voyager's lights and sit on the bridge in the captain's chair thinking about the tens of thousands of children who participated in the program over the years. I'd think of staff and volunteers long gone and the contributions they made and feel grateful that I was blessed to get to work with such fine people. I wished the walls could talk and tell me the stories I missed from the other side in the control room.  There has never been a ship more wished for and loved than that first simulator, the Voyager. I wish there was a way it could be saved from the wrecking ball.  

   

     Maeson will miss the magic of our simulators, but he leaves knowing the positive impact he had in directing his own little magical kingdom and how his endeavors influenced the lives of those he was privileged to teach. 

     I asked Maeson to send pictures and regular updates of his exploits for The Troubadour's readers.  Stay tuned....

Good Luck Maeson

Who Is the Ghostly Apparition Photographed by the Lions Gate Center's Security Cameras at Lakeview Academy?  Your Help is Needed.  

     Lions Gate Center directors Nathan and Pariss King sent the following photos to The Troubadour asking for the Space EdVenturing community's help.  Can you identify the person spotted in the security camera feeds?  

     Who ever it is seems to know the business. Nothing is disturbed. In fact, he has made a few improvements here and there. 
     Is it a ghost? Is it a diehard fan who won't leave the ships because the real world is just too boring? Is it a time traveller from earth's future coming back to visit the people and places that made a positive impact on the planet's future in the cosmos?  
     Nathan and Pariss will discover the truth even if it means imagining, designing, and 3D printing a time flux field capacitor to capture the visitor.  Answers will be forthcoming.  Watch The Troubadour for updates.

The Space Academy Announces its "Volunteer of the Month" 

Livy with her 'victims'

by Bracken Funk

Troubadour Staff Reporter and Self-proclaimed God of Flight Directing

     Being in the trenches with the troops has been incredible. I get to be a part of the action every day, and see amazing forms of volunteerism and creativity. And it's not just a sometime thing - it's an all the time thing. The people that surround the various experiential programs in the state have often caught the vision, and are willing to put in the time to help each of our programs grow and become something special.

     Because of this, I have decided to start a "Volunteer of the Month" award program (at least for our location at the Renaissance Space Academy). I would invite all locations to do the same. Let's highlight some of these amazing young people who invest their time to ensure our programs' success and to help influence young minds by using the discipline of wonder. Our missions would suffer without this incredible collection of young minds. 

    Livy Charles is the Space Academy's Volunteer of the Month.  She is a Space Academy dual citizen. She is both a volunteer and member of staff.  In her paid capacity, Livy is a Space Academy Computer Guru for the Academy's two Young Coder's Clubs. She is awesome and patient with our nearly 50 young coders every Saturday morning.  

Livy helping one of the Space Academy's Young Coders in the Advanced Coding Class

    Her volunteering takes her deep into space aboard the Terran Space Command Jump Carrier Voyager.  Livy is actually who got me thinking about this volunteer of the month thing, because she literally ALWAYS goes above and beyond. She volunteers for our missions regularly, and never shows up to just sit in the control room and shoot the breeze. Livy will walk in the door and, for example, reorganized our costumes and hang them in the same direction so they looked clean and organized. She once scrubbed down (with help) all the tables in our briefing room - they are the white plastic kind that stain easily. She takes initiative and is a world class self starter. I've never known Livy to take a shortcut, and I'm amazed at the things she finds to help with without being asked.

      Livy recently found herself playing the role of a blackmailed and coerced officer who's job it was to remove the person in charge from duty. Her character's family had been threatened by a villain; in order to protect them she began finding ways to get the lure the bridge commanding officers into sickbay for stunning and interrogation. She performed this act to perfection. She took out 4 of their leaders, taking them one by one as they assumed command of the ship when the previous officer failed to return from sickbay all the while convincing security it was a medical emergency and that they must leave their phasers on the bridge.

     After capturing four, the six remaining crew members finally caught. The crew was shamed by the fact that they had given up their captain and first officer so easily. Livy was a master of the persuasive arts demonstrated by her ability to talk security out of bringing a phaser. She shut the bridge down for a time. It was incredible.

During the flight, her 4 victims lay stunned in the sickbay

     Livy also volunteers to help with our Young Astronaut and Voyager Club Long Duration Mission rotations. She always finds a place where she can help take the load off my back which frees me up to finish my projects. So much to do, so little time..... right?

     The Space Academy has many amazing volunteers, but this month Livy was chosen to showcase her can do attitude, self-starter mentality, and her ability to act to exact specifications. She is a great volunteer and example to everyone. If you want to be the best volunteer, watch what Livy does and copy it. 

     One last thing. I've never seen Livy without a smile. She could be asked to clean up a vile pile of vomit and still smile (only after giving me a quick look of "ew, that's gross"). That kind of positive can-do attitude puts smiles on our guests and students.

     Congratulations to Livy for being our February volunteer of the month. She'll take home this wickedly expensive travelling trophy (for me $1.50 at DI is wickedly expensive). Next month the trophy will be returned and given to our next volunteer of the month.

     If you see Livy - please treat her like the celebrity she is. Become a fanboy/girl - scream in her presence (just don't vomit with excitement) get her autograph, grab a selfie, post it and tag me. A) that's kind of fun, and B) I think it's hilarious if you do it in really public places and make her feel like a huge celebrity! It could become a thing - you should do it :)

So say we all.

Bracken

Mr. Williamson Named Citizen of the Year for Utah County and Awarded the Medal of Honor

     I want to thank everyone for the kind words said about me over the last few days in response to the newest addition to the Love Me Wall. 

     The Love Me Wall first appeared at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center in the early 1990's. The bulletin board making up  the 'wall' displayed the awards and trophies I'd received over the years for both my work in the classroom and my founding of the CMSEC. I hung the awards as a way of showing CMSEC visitors that I wasn't some crazy sci-fi geek who created the program so kids could play in a real life video game. I wanted people to see take the program seriously. The Love Me Wall was one way to drive that point home - and it worked. 

The Original Love Me Wall from the CMSEC Briefing Room.
The Best Picture I Could Find on Short Notice

      After retiring from the Space Center and moving to Renaissance Academy to finish off my career in the classroom and to reestablish the Young Astronauts program, I rehung the Love Me Wall around my desk.  Again, people needed to see that I knew what I was talking about when it came to experiential education. It is so easy for people to dismiss this business as just play.  

     Several weeks ago a student asked about the "Love Me Wall".  He said, "Mr. Williamson, you won a lot of awards." He noticed the dates and asked if there was anything newer.               "Nope," I answered. The last one was over a decade old. 

     "Well, you're the best teacher I've ever had," he replied. I looked at the wall and was grateful for the milage it had given the Space Center and me and wondered if it was time to take it down. It had served its purpose.

The New Love Me Wall

     Two weeks ago, toward the end of a long day in the trenches with my 93 sixth graders, Casey Voeks stepped into my classroom during my after school math double dosing program.  He knew what to expect. We laughed about it just the other day. He knew he'd find me looking haggard at the front of my room surrounded by students all wanting help with this or that. "I knew you'd give me that look of 'What are you doing here? Don't you know my work day doesn't end until 6:30?'" he said. I did just what Casey prophecies. He got that look. 

     He walked up to me, careful not to get too close, before speaking his business. "When can you take a call. I need an exact time."  

     I thought what an odd question.  "6:45 PM," I replied.  At 6:45 P.M. a call came through from Utah County Commissioner Bill Lee.  He told me I was to be awarded the Utah County Citizen of the Year award at the yearly State of the County program.  I was stunned.  Casey called next to provide a few other details.  

     I've never been one who enjoys the whole awards thing. I'm a good speaker and can deliver a real knee slapper if needed, but mixing socially in a room of non-educators puts me out of my comfort zone. I can fake it pretty good but would rather not if given a choice. 

But after talking to Casey, I became excited for the honor because it the event would give me an opportunity to highlight all the Space EdVenture programs in Utah. 

     Highlighting our programs is what I did.  I had a captive audience and took advantage of the open mic. I believe there isn't a person in that audience who can now claim ignorance of the fantastic things we are doing for space education. 

     I want to thank those who came to the event. I want to thank Brian Voeks (Casey's brother) for his year after year persistence in driving the space center story home to the commissioners and in organizing the event.  He, more than anyone, is responsible for this recognition. I want to thank Casey for his behind the scenes help and cheerleading. I want to thank Kyle Herring for organizing the banquet end of things and doing a lot of PR work on site and online. A special thank you to James Porter and Mark Ursic for attending and giving me people to point out in the audience. I like the way presidents do that during their state of the union addresses. I wanted to do the same.  

     I'll sum up this post by restating what I said in my closing remarks at the event.  "Christa McAuliffe said, "I touch the future, I teach."  Those of us in the Space EdVentures movement want to do more than touch the future. We want to change the future and we do it one student and one experience at a time."  

Mr. W.

PS.  The Love Me Wall stays.  I've got a nice new addition so it is gassed up for another ten years or so....

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