January 20, 2016
Remembering the Challenger Recipes
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Perfect pops for every occasion
Community Voices
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By Adolphus M. Pruitt, II
Photo courtesy of John Schmidt
Flight Director, Jake Bales, helps students examine minerals on board the Challenger Learning Center’s spacecraft.
Challenger Learning Center – St. Louis marks 30th anniversary of shuttle disaster
Around Town
Union Station annouces changes
By Sara Hardin Many will always remember where they were when hearing about the tragic Challenger shuttle accident on Jan. 28, 1986. As we approach the 30th anniversary of the disaster, the team at the Challenger Learning Center – St. Louis hopes to bring attention to the positive impact that its programs have had in the lives of teachers, students and many other individuals for the past 12 years in the St. Louis region as they celebrate the lives of the Challenger crew members. The Challenger Learning Center is one part of the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, an organization started by the families of the Challenger crew following the 1986 accident. The network includes over 40 centers worldwide that provide simulated space missions and science education programs for various types of groups and individuals as part of an effort to inspire a new generation of space explorers. “The family members [of the Challenger crew] definitely want to look at this as a celebration of 30 years of having this organization,” said Tasmyn Scarl Front, Director at Challenger Learning Center – St. Louis. “We recognize the importance and the solitude of the day, but we want to look at all of the positives that came out of it as well.” The Learning Center plans to pay homage to the lives lost in the shuttle
accident by taking time to recognize individuals in the community who work every day to inspire young people and encourage them to pursue an interest in science, technology, engineering and/ or mathematics (STEM). Throughout the year, the center will be focused on inspiring leaders in different areas and bringing them in for professional development to strengthen their impact on students’ minds. “We were put in place to continue the mission of space outreach and to get kids excited about space,” explained Erin Nolan, Lead Flight Director at the Challenger Learning Center. “We want to focus on students and teachers, so we’re bringing in aspiring teachers with the thought that they are continuing the mission, that they are the people who are going to be trying to inspire students to be problem solvers and creative thinkers. Yes, hopefully some become astronauts in the future, but more to the point we need people who are thinking about things in new and creative ways.” A ceremony hosted by the Challenger Learning Center on Jan. 28 will honor local teachers who have been nominated by their students. These teachers have been particularly inspiring in leading students down a STEM pathway and have fostered an interest in creative thinking and exploration in the field.
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Beyond the ceremonies and events taking place on the anniversary, the Learning Center above all hopes to recognize the efforts of the crew members’ loved ones in continuing the legacy of space exploration and growing a love of space in the minds of young people. “It’s good that people remember this tragedy and remember where they were when it happened, but many don’t realize that a happy ending came out of it, that the families [of the Challenger crew] got together and made something really positive that has impacted a lot of people and students in a positive way,” said Nolan. “We are celebrating the continuing happy ending that came out of this tragedy.” In the Challenger Learning Center – St. Louis’s 12 years in the region, located at 205 Brotherton Ln. in Ferguson next to McCluer South-Berkeley High School, the programs and events it provides have generated an air of excitement the idea of exploring far beyond our home turf on Earth. The enthusiasm grows stronger in St. Louis and across the world due to the efforts made by the Challenger crew family members in creating a network of science education in the memory of their loved ones. “This is a great opportunity to bring recognition to not only our organization See CHALLENGER page 2
Learn & Play
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Many Happy Returns
Movie
“Anamolisa”
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