By: Emma Eskridge
In a metropolitan area like Louisville, star-gazing is an activity with many inhibitions. Studying Jupiter’s moons and the position of the stars can be difficult when commercial lights are beaming down on the city. But, Rico’s Astronomy class is not hindered whatsoever by these constraints.
On Monday, Rico brought in famous astronomer Bob Summerfield so scholars could experience the entire night’s sky just in the Palio. Bob brought in an inflatable planetarium that fit all twenty scholars. The scholars shuffled inside the planetarium, careful not to tear the tarp material. Once inside, the lights were dimmed and scholars were told to monitor their noise levels because the spherical shape of the planetarium caused echoes and strange noise distribution.
Bob pointed out constellations, planets, and other figures using interactive stories, keeping the attention of all the astronomy scholars. In just two hours, scholars felt well acquainted with the majority of our night sky.
A couple days later, Bob came to Bellarmine yet again to help host the Star Party. He brought several high-tech telescopes, some of them almost twenty-five inches wide. Scholars began to file into the Arboreto past curfew to view Saturn, the Moon, the North Star (Polaris), and many other celestial bodies. The night was very engaging and gave other scholars the opportunity to learn about our universe.
As a whole, astronomy students greatly enjoy their focus area. A typical day for them consists of classroom learning; they mainly focus on seasonal sky changes, history of the stars, and the necessary skills of astronomers. Astronomy scholars also enjoy the camaraderie of the group; scholar Alex Wesley commented: “I just love the community feel. Class is always so fun!” Abby Lucas added to this with her statement: “Astronomy is the best class; I’m so glad I got it!”
Astronomy has also made some scholars realize their true calling. Carly McDonald expressed her gratitude for the class, saying how it made her realize this is a possible career
interest. “Ever since I took a class on Spacecraft Mission Design, I’ve had an interest in the stars. Through this astronomy class I’ve found that I really do have an interest in this career.”
Thus far, this focus area seems to be an invigorating and unique class that scholars truly enjoy. With special guests and in-depth lectures, teacher Rico works his hardest to make sure every scholar has access to the stars.
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