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Where Staring Into Space Is Actually Encouraged, Washington Post
"Since 1982, Wood Acres students have learned about astronomy by studying the night sky in the planetarium and through lessons in its classroom. The beige dome is suspended by chains from the ceiling over a carpeted circular pit in the retrofitted classroom. Through a program run by trained parent volunteers at Wood Acres, students in first through fifth grades visit the planetarium six times a year for 45-minute lessons. The program for kindergartners is more condensed; students attend one lesson each week for six weeks, said parent Eloise Keary, who is in charge of scheduling and training for the PTA's planetarium committee. During a class Friday, Jorgensen and John Adams, a parent and NASA aerospace engineer, taught the first-graders about the solar system before gathering the youngsters under the dome. Projecting colorful images of planets on a large screen, Adams talked about their characteristics."
Our own local high school had a planetarium when it was built in the early 1960s. Inspired by the Sputnik scare no doubt. It was the only school in the county with a planetarium. About 5 years ago, it was time to renovate the school. Against the wishes of the community and alumni, the planetarium was converted to a faculty lounge. Grrrr...