Blast Off to the Future!

We are excited to share that our sixth-grade students experienced an out-of-this-world visit on Thursday, April 10th! Tom Klinkowstein—brother of middle school science and math teacher JoAnne Daniels and a professor of design and media arts at Hofstra University and Pratt Institute—returned to campus for an engaging in-person visit with our sixth-grade students during elective and lunch times.

Tom, a lifelong devotee of space travel with a passion ignited at age seven, had previously connected with our students via Zoom back in February to kick off his inspiring space art challenge. His return visit was the perfect opportunity for the kids to proudly showcase their creative space art tryptchs and innovative spacesuit designs—projects they thoughtfully completed in their sixth-grade science classes. These artistic endeavors beautifully complemented their integrated unit on exploring the unknown, which has been driven by engaging ELA and science studies.

During his time on campus, Tom chatted with our enthusiastic students about his lifelong journey with space. From attending the US Rocket and Space Center's space camp and participating in ZeroG’s microgravity experience to working on NASA design projects, Tom’s dedication to space exploration is truly infectious. He even shared his exciting plans for a suborbital flight on Virgin Galactic’s space plane in two years, urging everyone to pursue their dreams and to stay curious about the vast unknown.

This visit was a fantastic complement to our 'your future self' theme for School Spirit Week, reminding us all that creativity, curiosity, and daring to dream big can truly take us places—even beyond the stars.