NASA visits Addlestone

Rabbi Achiya Delouya is a self-described science freak. He feels that children need a strong mathematical and scientific base to succeed in today's society so they can achieve greater heights.

"It's beautiful for children to dream about the moon and beyond," he said. And as the Head of School at Addlestone Hebrew Academy in West Ashley, Delouya has the influence to impact students' access to the resources that will help them develop an interest in these areas.

Which is why he asked NASA's Aerospace Education Services Program to send someone to the school last week. After a fair share of online research, he discovered just how beneficial the program could be to Addlestone students if teachers and administrators knew what was out there to help students develop in fields that are heavily based in science, math and technology.

"I was looking for something that would integrate all three, because they are becoming more integrated — something that wasn't so disparate," he said.

Dynae Fullwood gave a presentation to about 20 educators from Addlestone and Ashley Hall. Right away she noticed a feature mounted on a wall in Addlestone's media center that sets the school ahead of the curve.

"I see you have a video conferencing unit up there," she said, pointing to the screen. "When I looked at it, I said, 'Wow. They have no excuse now.' Because that is the gateway to all things NASA." Students and teachers alike could talk to scientists and educational specialists via teleconference.

Fullwood showed her audience how NASA's educational services can be used both in and outside the classroom walls. The program's Web site shows several simple exercises that demonstrate, for example, how the universe expands. There are multimedia resources, educator programs where educators can work directly with NASA scientists and more. But there are also more interactive opportunities that federal grant money pays for. Fullwood talked about a group of students who got to develop a simulation of how to get to Mars at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

"We're taking out this cookie-cutter, '1-2-3, do these steps in the lab,' and letting kids figure out their own way of things," Fullwood said. "We feel if we inspire teachers, we'll catch more students that way. It's about providing research money for kids and teachers."

Both Fullwood and Rabbi Delouya stressed the importance of stressing technological education to children at a young age as more industries move jobs overseas and the professions here start to require broader skill sets.

"To avoid having to outsource things such as our coveted space program, we decided to invest in educating people here (in the U.S.)," Fullwood said.

Delouya is hopeful that the instructional tools from NASA can be used in all classes at his school. Addlestone caters to children as young as 18 months of age up to eighth grade.

"This is it. This is how the world is going to function. It's like the transition from horse and buggy to the cars of the 21st century."

Reach Sophia Rodriguez at 937-5538 or srodriguez@postandcourier.com.