T
No. 2 Vol. 4
mypaperonline.com
April 2016
Pleasantdale Elementary To Change Name To Honor Local Astronauts
By J. L. Shively he name of the Pleasantdale Elementary School has been around since it was first built, says Joanne Pollara, principal of the school since 2009, but “we are all very, very excited about this name change.” Pollara is referring to the recent decision to rename the school after local astronauts, Mark and Scott Kelly. Although the new name has not yet been unveiled, the decision will soon be made. Part of the school building, Pollara states, is about 100 years old, while other editions occurred in the 1950s and then again more recently. “Pleasantdale is actually the name of a section of town which takes in Pleasant Valley Way, Mt. Pleasant Ave. and the area around the high school down to the Verona border,” Pollara says. While the history around the school and its name remains, the community has embraced the idea of honoring the schools twin astronaut graduates with a change in the school’s name. “I don’t know whose idea it was to originally honor the Kellys now, but they have returned over the years to our TES STIMA FREE E
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school to talk to the children and have certainly done a lot for our country and scientific research,” Pollara states. Commanders Mark and Scott Kelly, both graduates of Pleasantdale Elementary School, have been a part of a yearlong space mission which studies the effects of space on Scott’s body by comparing it with his twin, Mark, who remained on Earth. Pollara explained in a notice that this research will be vital for the “lucky astronauts who will travel to Mars one day” as well as to help “further knowledge in space exploration and medical knowledge for future generations.” The Kelly twins have been very active at the school. “Commander Mark and Scott Kelly are wonderful role models for our students,” Pollara says. “They demonstrate that with hard work and perseverance you can reach the stars and beyond.” Mark recently visited the school in Oct. and Scott was able to hold a video conference for the children while he was still on the International Space Station in Jan. “The kids loved watching him float around in microgravity and show us around his home in space,” Pollara says remarking that the kids were even able to watch as Scott grabbed a quick snack of floating M&Ms in the galley. After deciding to change the name of the school to honor these iconic alumni the students and staff had to gather their ideas and vote on five different suggested names. The vote has been cast and Pollara states that the Board of Education should be making their decision very shortly. An official ceremony to unveil the name change is set for May 19, which the Kellys have been invited to attend. “We are planning the event to celebrate the renaming that we hope will be memorable for our Astronaut Alumni, our
school community and our town,” Pollara says. “Personally, I am honored to be a part of this renaming,” she adds, explaining that the school staff is also working on a new school song and “a fitting tribute that will become a part of the history of our school.” Mark and Scott Kelly, “have both served their country, their family and realized their dreams,” Pollara says of the astronauts. The history of Pleasantdale Elementary is about to be changed for the better and the memory and hard work of these two dedicated astronauts will live on in the years to come.
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