A Successful Launch of "Blast Back To School" at Anne Beers Elementary

It was truly One NASA that gathered at Anne Beers Elementary School on the morning of September 30. NASA representatives, teachers, and parents helped students to lift off into a great new school year with the launch of a new "Blast Back to School" sampler of cool NASA school supplies.

This event was in recognition of Anne Beers Elementary School in Southeast Washington, D.C. as one of NASA's 50 Explorer Schools. This first year program is part of the new education initiative at NASA to inspire the next generation, as only NASA can.

Don Pettit awaits next question from student body.

The morning activities began with a kick off event in the auditorium for more than 100 students, teachers and parents. Astronaut and NASA Science Officer Don Pettit, who recently returned from a four-month stay on the International Space Station, talked to students about his experiences on the International Space Station and answered questions.

Following his talk, Pettit began showing the students some of the contents of the "Blast Back To School" sampler that included a NASA notebook, stickers, pen, posters, pencil and more. "This is some real cool stuff," Pettit told the student body. "I could have used this pencil while on the space station because this pen would not work too well," said Pettit.

There was a louder than usual applause when Connie Hollingsworth, NASA Educator Astronaut Program Manager and former Anne Beers school principal was introduced. "I feel like I am coming back for a family reunion," said Hollingsworth. "I want to personally congratulate you and Mr. Fears for being chosen as one of NASA first 50 Explorer Schools," added Hollingsworth. She also spent a part of her

	Connie Hollingsworth, former Anne Beers principal.

morning visiting with students to encourage them to see learning math and science in a whole new light.

"One of the NASA goals is to reach out and inspire the next generation and I need you to focus on math and science," said Mr. Anthony Fears, principal of Anne Beers Elementary. "Pioneers like Orville and Wilber Wright were once student just like you," Fears told the students.

Also in attendance for the blast off were, Dr. Paul L. Vance Superintendent of the District of Columbia Public Schools; Dr. Antoinette Wells, Explorer Program coordinator at Goddard; and NASA Educational Consultants from Goddard. Master and mistress of ceremony were Anne Beers Elementary school students Andre Owens, Jr., and Diamond Davis.

Members of the Anne Beers team display Explorer School banner to student body.

Following the presentation of the official NASA Explorer School Banner, students returned to their classrooms where members of the Goddard community greeted them and conducted workshops for both parents and students.

"With the "Blast Back to School" sampler, NASA has the opportunity to reach out to students at a young age to begin nurturing what we hope will be a long relationship that will inspire them," remarked Dr. Adena Williams Loston, NASA Associate Administrator for Education. "We are looking to engage students in NASA's unique missions and discoveries by feeding their natural curiosities about air, space and Earth as only NASA can," she said.

Photos by Chris Gunn/293

Don Pettit is encircled by the next generation of possible explorers.

Anne Beers is one of only 50 schools competitively selected from across the country representing 30 states. The Explorer Schools Program, a major new education initiative for NASA, was created to spark innovative science and mathematics instruction directed specifically at students in grades 5 through 8.

The new initiative, sponsored by the NASA Education Enterprise in collaboration with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), establishes a three-year partnership between NASA and 50 NASA Explorer School teams, consisting of teachers and education administrators from diverse communities across the country.
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