Nonprofit Gives Telescope to School

Teachers at say a recent donation to the school will help broaden students' horizons—literally.

The gift—a Meade ETX-60 telescope—was delivered last week to the school by Richard Stember, head of a Lake Forest organization that has made it its mission to support science in schools by arranging the donation of telescopes for student use.

It's the second such instrument that Scopes-4-Schools, founded by Stember in 2008, has donated, and the first to go to an Orange County school.

Barton Hickson, a fifth- and sixth-grade science and math teacher at Gates with a personal interest in astronomy himself, accepted the instrument on behalf of the school.

The telescope, he said, will serve as the foundation for a new astronomy club he plans to get underway at the school. It will also be used during the astronomy portion of fifth-grade science instruction, which was moved from the fall to this February in anticipation of the telescope's arrival.

Hickson said the instrument will also play a role in the school's annual Astronomy Night, a popular evening event where students and their families gather to learn more about the wider universe. 

It's arrival fits neatly into "what we're already doing" to expose students to astronomy at a young age at Gates Elementary, he added.

By the time the late February event rolls around, Hickson hopes to have trained students in the Astronomy Club to assist others at the gathering and share the knowledge they've gained through using the telescope.

In science class next month, fifth graders will get the chance to learn about the telescope during their astronomy unit; those students who are interested in the concept may also play a role in guiding others at the family Astronomy Night.

Stember, who serves as a volunteer Solar System Ambassador, gave Hickson a quick demonstration as to how to set up the telescope, so Hickson said he's ready to share the details with Gates students interested in astronomy.

For more information about Scopes-4-School, visit http://socalastronomy.homestead.com/Scopes4Schools.html, call Stember at (949) 616-9481 or email avatarsci@msn.com.