By Kenzie Gamlin | HCCSC Communications Intern
Students at Andrews Elementary School recently had the opportunity to visit the StarLab, a blow-up planetarium for students to see and interact with the night sky, led by third-grade teacher Debra Thieme.
The StarLab was invented in 1977 by a former middle-school teacher, Dr. Philip Sadler. Sadler has always had a love for learning, astronomy and engineering. Creating the StarLab was a perfect tool to show his passions. The StarLab is now the most commonly used planetarium globally and Andrews has had the opportunity to use the StarLab through the Region 8 Education Service Center.
The StarLab has been at Andrews since 2006 when Thieme was trained by the Region 8 Education Service Center and certified to bring it to the school. Thieme took the reins of bringing the StarLab back for the children of the school to see annually, and now the StarLab has been a staple, annual event for students at Andrews for over 15 years.
While in the StarLab, children learn about many different stars, constellations and the myths that have surrounded the night sky. For example, Thieme teaches the tales of Perseus and Medusa, Orion and his dog Sirius and Princess Andromeda.
“My favorite part of the StarLab is the wonder you feel when you are in it,” Thieme said. “Seeing the constellations and telling the stories just puts you in another time and place. Then to go outside and see those same stars in the real night sky and find the constellations is magical!”
The Region 8 Education Service Center originally owned six StarLabs that could be rented by Northeast Indiana school corporations with trained staff members. But as technology advances, so do StarLabs and there is an updated version of the original StarLab that is completely computerized.
Thieme had the chance to use this StarLab with her students, but in a somewhat shocking decision, the kids unanimously agreed that the old version of the StarLab was much better than the new. So, Thieme stuck to her roots and continued with the older version, and by doing this, the Region 8 Education Service Center gave her permission last year to keep the old version of the StarLab permanently, as they were retiring them for the new. Now, Andrews has its very own StarLab to use whenever they would like.
“Actually, the best part is hearing the kids tell me about what they saw in the night sky at their house,” Thieme continued. “They love to tell me how they found Orion or the Big Dipper!”