HOUSTON, TX - Before their kickoff against Real Salt Lake on Saturday, June 17, the Dynamo honored Ariana Montelongo, 12, of Saint Augustine Catholic School and Alfredo Tobias, 10, of Lanier Middle School. Montelongo and Tobias, who helped launch NASA's 21st Century Explorer campaign, were joined on Saturday by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and Houston City Councilmen Jarvis Johnson, and Adrian Garcia. Jackson-Lee presented the 21st Century Group a Congressional Certificate of Achievement commending the program.
Astronaut Jose Hernandez was also in attendance on Saturday to show is support for NASA's 21st Century Explorer program. Following his selection as an Astronaut Candidate in 2004, and the completion of his Astronaut Candidate training in February of 2006, Hernandez was assigned to the Shuttle Branch to work with Kennedy Space Center Operations in support of launch and landing preparations. He is set to be the first Hispanic person to visit the international space station.
Teachers and students alike tested NASA's 21st Century Explorer materials for three weeks. After the three weeks, the students and teachers were able to give feedback, and make recommendations to NASA using engineering design, language, media, and fine arts. As a part of their final project, the students were able to participate in a learning project at the Baylor College of Medicine.
By participating in the program, these students were able to share in the excitement of NASA's vision for space exploration. The objectives of the Sports and Exploration program are to provide a bilingual education program for 3rd-5th graders, provide educational materials that address Health, Physical Education, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) National Standards, provide outreach opportunities to compliment the educational materials, and to enhance community involvement in the education of youth.
