Students and parents “visit” the stars

Ann Constantino, sixth grade science teacher at the Sparta Middle School, is a diamond in the sky to her students and their families. For four years she has persisted in applying for grants to make the starry night come true for her students and this year, she was finally awarded her request from the Sparta Middle School PTO, enabling her to organize the Amber Team Family Science Night. The evening was designed for the purpose of bringing students and their families together for an evening of fun and scientific discovery. “In 2003 the PTO purchased a Star Lab portable planetarium for our school. Since then, they have generously awarded educational grants to me that allowed me to participate in a series of Star Lab training programs. As a result of their interest and generosity, my students have enjoyed learning a myriad of astronomy facts that expand beyond our textbooks,” said Constantino. “It was my hope that Family Science Night would enable my students to show off their new knowledge while enjoying quality time with their family.” On Monday, Oct. 30 experienced and renowned astronomers and paleontologists from the Pearl Observatory hosted an adventurous and exciting evening for the students and their families of the Amber Team. The evening began with experienced paleontologists presenting informative demonstrations at the fossil tables set up in the school’s gymnasium. Rocks, fossils, meteor samples were available to touch, feel and ask questions about. At the conclusion of their first learning experience, the students and their families then entered one of the two inflatable Star Labs, similar to a miniature and portable planetarium. Inside the Star Labs, the families were taken on a guided tour of the universe. The audience was informed about the stars, constellations, planets, the moon, shooting stars and meteors. Each Star Lab held approximately twenty people who eagerly huddled up inside each Star Lab to absorb as much as they could about the magical skies. It was here, that they were readied for their next amazing learning experience. Astronomers held even the younger siblings’ attention with the night sky demonstration and clear and efficient presentation, answering questions and providing as much information as they could in the thirty minute allotted time segments. As if this wasn’t enough to tickle one’s interest in the skies above, at the conclusion of the Star Lab presentations, the crowd proceeded outside on the beautiful and unseasonably warm fall evening, into total darkness where they were taken on an live tour of the universe. In the company of expert astronomers, and the use of their advanced and rare telescopes, the audience was treated to a vision of magnificent celestial objects such as planetary nebulas, the surface of the moon, comet, planets and stars so close, it was the next best thing to actually visiting them. The children compared notes with each other and bragged about their finds after learning about them both in class and in the Star Lab. Once the students were familiar with these constellations and stars, they could use them as sky markers to find other current astronomical events in our night sky such as Comet Swan and the Persieds meteor shower. Astronomers were pleased and eager to point them out when struggles occurred. The first hands-on astronomical experience of its kind at the Sparta Middle School turned out to be so successful, Constantino hopes to make the adventure a regular part of her lesson plan for future years. “My expectations for the evening were far exceeded. I could not have wished for a better evening. The students’ reaction the next day has inspired me to plan for future Family Science Night events,” said Constantino. “The skies were crystal clear, the turnout was amazing, the students were exact in their constellation identifications, and Comet Swan made an appearance!” It was an evening of hands on education, adventure and fun as a result of the hard work of the Sparta Middle School’s PTO and the unrelenting perseverance of one enthusiastic and energetic teacher, Ann Constantino.