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by Regina Taylor

Outer space has always held a fascination for children. That’s why space exploration was such a natural fit for Vaughan Elementary School’s summer reading program.

The two-day "Space" Reading Camp was hosted by four Vaughan teachers at the Wildwood Apartments in Allen on July 21 and 22.

"Our goal for the camp was to give these students a vision for their future," said Sandra Holt, a third grade teacher at Vaughan whose passion for these students inspired her to write a grant to the Foundation For Allen Schools. Holt and her fellow teachers were awarded the grant in May and immediately began planning for the July camp.

"We wanted to offer these students several things—a shared summer reading experience, books that they could keep as their own, a trip to the Planetarium, and a visit to a real college campus. We learned as much as the kids did and they came back from UT Arlington so excited about space, science and the possibility of college," Holt added.

The 25 Vaughan students in grades 1 through 6 spent Monday in the community room at their apartment complex with Holt, Karen Hatten, an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, Cheryl Mena, an ESL teacher, and Susan Waring, a third grade teacher. The day included studying the solar system, reading a fiction and non-fiction book about planets and stars, and completing several art projects. Each student also received a "Summer Scholar" t-shirt.

On Tuesday, the students and teachers boarded an Allen ISD school bus and headed to the University of Texas in Arlington for hands on space and science exploration as well as a campus tour.

"For many of these students, this was their first time to walk on a college campus," Holt explained. "In addition to seeing the Planetarium, we wanted them to start envisioning their future as a college student."

The students enjoyed a 45-minute show entitled "The Stars at Night are Big and Bright" at the UT Planetarium, which is located in the College of Chemistry and Biochemistry

"I really loved when we went to the planetarium," said Karen, a fifth grade student. "At first, I felt really dizzy because it seemed like we were moving!"

Baily, another fifth grader at Vaughan, said she loved the camp "because of all the stuff we did and how much I learned. My favorite part was the (college) campus and learning how college kids spent their day."

The space reading camp is one of 67 Educational Grants funded by the Foundation for the 2008-2009 school year. The grant covered all of the camp expenses for students and teachers.

The Vaughan teachers had such a great vision for their students. They wanted the students to have new books to keep as their own, to see science in a new way, and to spend some time on a real college campus. You can talk to kids about how important studying is and how wonderful college will be, but as I watched their faces while we toured UT Arlington and they talked to the college students, I could see the meaning sink in. This is a place these children can be in 6, 7 or 8 years.

When we arrived in the Chemistry building, I noticed a poster on the wall that said ‘See the universe in a whole new light.’ I hope this grant had that impact on these 25 children—that they would see our solar system in a whole new way, view science in a new and exciting way, and see a whole new world of possibilities for themselves.

Following the Planetarium show, the students were given a tour of a science lab by two of UT Arlington’s ‘science ambassadors.’ The college students demonstrated various chemical reactions including how liquid nitrogen acts and reacts. "They poured the liquid nitrogen out on the floor and it immediately froze," Holt explained. "Then they hit it and it shattered into a zillion pieces. The kids were dead silent—they were so amazed at what the students could do!"

To date, the foundation has funded $300,578 in grants for elementary and secondary classrooms, school libraries, art, music and special education projects, physical education programs, technology resources and other grants. What makes the educational grants so effective in Allen is that these programs are created by our teachers. They have wonderful ideas that directly benefit many students—the students in their individual classrooms, a whole grade level, sometimes their entire campus or multiple campuses. For the 2000 school year, we had seven grants. For 2008, we have nearly 70. The grants will benefit almost every student in Allen ISD.

As Madeleine, a sixth grade student added, "Space Camp was awesome! I loved the books, and the Planetarium rocked! The trip was better than any field trip ever. I want to go to UT Arlington when I grow up!"

For more information on the grants and supporting teachers and students through the Foundation For Allen Schools, visit www.allenisd.org.