Students from various Richmond Hill schools on Tuesday participated in a video conference with NASA astronauts. Forum Photo by Michael V. Cusenza.
An afterschool initiative in Richmond Hill provides area students with the opportunity to learn about the Final Frontier—from actual National Aeronautics and Space Administration astronauts.
Part of the Science and Technology program at the One Stop Richmond Hill Community Center on Jamaica Avenue, children of various grades from neighborhood public and private schools videoconference with astronauts at NASA facilities across the country, learning about everything from astronomy to physics and climate science.
“I think it’s a really good program,” said Manjot Kaur, 9, one of 14 students who participated in Tuesday’s interactive lesson. “It really teaches you a lot of stuff—about animals and what happens in space.”
Michael Moreno, 8, said he especially appreciates the instructors.
“You get to talk to the people of NASA,” he noted. “It’s for the next generation of astronauts. You can learn things to prepare to be an astronaut.”
One Stop is a partner in the NASA STEM Museum Alliance, a collective of similar organizations of informal education that regularly use NASA educational products, images, visualizations, video, and information in their educational and public programs and exhibits.
Alison Wilk, who teaches 1st grade at nearby PS 66, said the program affords the students at a young age an opportunity to learn in a unique setting.
“They’re really excited about it,” Wilk said. “It’s always a positive response from the neighborhood.”
Simcha Waisman runs the community center and has seen the program grow since it first launched 11 years ago.
“It opens the minds of kids to think outside the box,” he said. “It shows that you can put a goal in front of you—to be an astronaut or a doctor or anything else—and if you work hard you can reach it.”
The program is funded through City Council allocations secured by the office of Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park).
“It’s a great program that teaches young people not only about space exploration and science, but also about the global community, and our responsibilities to each other,” Ulrich said on Tuesday at the center. “This is very dynamic, because it exposes [students] to something they might not otherwise be exposed to.”
Ulrich later acknowledged that funding is always a concern.
“As with any afterschool program—the money factor,” he said. “It’s not cheap.”
By Michael V. Cusenza
