Transfiguration School Students Connect with International Space Station

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May 12, 2021

By Rick Pezzullo—

Middle school students at The Transfiguration School in Tarrytown spoke with astronauts aboard the International Space Station on May 6 during a live “downlink” sponsored by NASA in cooperation with SUNY Plattsburgh’s Shine On! – a non-profit dedicated to encouraging resilient, confident girls by teaching media literacy, communication skills, and character strengths.

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While Shine On! programs typically focus on young girls, this particular event, Look to the Stars: #CharacterCountdown, was open to girls and boys. The Transfiguration School was one of just a few elementary schools across New York State invited to participate in the day-long science and technology workshop, which included the live discussion with astronauts.

SUNY Potsdam student and Tarrytown native, Emily Slattery, helped facilitate the connection between ShineOn! and The Transfiguration School, where her brother is a student.

“We are grateful Emily and to ShineOn! for the opportunity to participate in this unique learning experience,” said Margaret Kazan, Principal of The Transfiguration School. “Students were enthusiastic to see and hear their questions answered in real time by the astronauts serving aboard the space station. I’m sure the memory of this experience will last a lifetime.”

Kazan explained middle school teachers, Michelle Fazzino and Michelle Lemmey, prepared students for the downlink by incorporating lessons about space into the current science curriculum, and helped them prepare questions regarding what they had learned.

The Transfiguration School provides an academically excellent, values-oriented education to students of all ethnic, religious, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds in grades PreK-3 to eight. The Transfiguration School is part of the Archdiocese of New York’s Central Westchester Catholic School Region.

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