MONROE - Dozens of elementary students filled Twining Park Tuesday night, sipping on hot chocolate and gazing upward to identify constellations and admire the stars.
Ellie Erb, a senior at Monroe High School and the one who orchestrated Tuesday's activities, said she has always enjoyed stargazing. Unfortunately, the city's lights obscure the pinpricks of light from the thousands of stars that would otherwise be visible to the naked eye. Unless one can escape the light pollution permeating Monroe, stargazing isn't always an option.
"I thought it would be super cool to, kind of, host a party for stargazing in town that would be really accessible for people," Erb said. "And then the next step after that was, "What if I could do this for the elementary-schoolers?'"
She remembers science being less emphasized in elementary school than she would have liked. But what really sparked the idea for the Star Party was Erb's involvement with the MHS science club and its Demo Day. For Demo Day, members of the science club prepare scientific demonstrations, usually ones with lots of color that would interest young kids, and show them at elementary schools in the area.
"It really gets (kids) excited about science, and that's what kind of inspired me to do it this way and to bring it to the elementary-schoolers," she said.
Erb approached a couple teachers and told them her idea. When it became clear the event was going to happen, she enlisted the help of her mother Wendy, who coordinated with people and generally acted as secretary, Ellie said.
She also had the help of Alex Schutz, a third-grade teacher at Parkside Elementary School who's "really into science," Erb said. He worked out the logistics, got other teachers involved and sent out announcements for the event to students, among other things.
All K-5 students in the district were invited to attend the Star Party on Tuesday from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Erb secured a $1,000 grant from Monroe Art's and Academic's Booster Club to fund the event. But when more people than expected signed up, the total cost jumped to about $1,500. The Erb family and the Monroe school district picked up the slack, each contributing about $250.
About 160 people signed up to attend the two-part party, Erb said, but she didn't know if that included parents or only students.
"Either way, it's a great turnout for this being the first year that this has happened," she said.
Participating students spent the after-school hours learning about space, crawling into a large inflatable planetarium, watching a short space-themed movie and making star charts at Parkside. Erb, her fellow science and physics club members and elementary school teachers hosted the event, according to Wendy Erb.
Paul Kinzer, an astronomy educator, was hired for the event. He's the director of Seeing Stars, a service that hosts star parties and operates an inflatable planetarium. He has been an amateur astronomer for almost 20 years and is the author of "Stargazing Basics: Getting Started in Recreational Astronomy," according to the Seeing Stars website.
Kinzer's inflatable Starlab Portable Planetarium - a big, enclosed dome with stars and other images projected onto its ceiling - was set up in the school library. Erb noted that it operates like a regular planetarium, except for being portable, and any school could get one.
"I'm excited for him to come and teach these kids about how they can stargaze at home as well, and how they can continue this interest if that's what this event sparks in them," she said.
Constellations also tie in to this year's elementary school theme of "superheroes," Erb said, because part of what students are learning about under the theme is mythology. Constellations get their names and forms from Greek mythology.
At 7:30 p.m., the party moved to Twining Park for outdoor stargazing. Kinzer set up telescopes for students to get a closer view of the celestial bodies.
With temperatures dipping into the 40s, organizers supplied hot chocolate and cider for the kids. Erb said she expected it to be "super cozy and a fun time for them."
She's hoping the Star Party isn't a one-time event for Monroe even though she won't be around next year to continue it because she's graduating this year.
"I'm just hoping to find someone who will pick it up and get it going," she said, "and just realize how important it can be to the elementary students in our town to have this kind of opportunity to learn about a bunch of different types of science."
Ellie Erb, a senior at Monroe High School and the one who orchestrated Tuesday's activities, said she has always enjoyed stargazing. Unfortunately, the city's lights obscure the pinpricks of light from the thousands of stars that would otherwise be visible to the naked eye. Unless one can escape the light pollution permeating Monroe, stargazing isn't always an option.
"I thought it would be super cool to, kind of, host a party for stargazing in town that would be really accessible for people," Erb said. "And then the next step after that was, "What if I could do this for the elementary-schoolers?'"
She remembers science being less emphasized in elementary school than she would have liked. But what really sparked the idea for the Star Party was Erb's involvement with the MHS science club and its Demo Day. For Demo Day, members of the science club prepare scientific demonstrations, usually ones with lots of color that would interest young kids, and show them at elementary schools in the area.
"It really gets (kids) excited about science, and that's what kind of inspired me to do it this way and to bring it to the elementary-schoolers," she said.
Erb approached a couple teachers and told them her idea. When it became clear the event was going to happen, she enlisted the help of her mother Wendy, who coordinated with people and generally acted as secretary, Ellie said.
She also had the help of Alex Schutz, a third-grade teacher at Parkside Elementary School who's "really into science," Erb said. He worked out the logistics, got other teachers involved and sent out announcements for the event to students, among other things.
All K-5 students in the district were invited to attend the Star Party on Tuesday from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Erb secured a $1,000 grant from Monroe Art's and Academic's Booster Club to fund the event. But when more people than expected signed up, the total cost jumped to about $1,500. The Erb family and the Monroe school district picked up the slack, each contributing about $250.
About 160 people signed up to attend the two-part party, Erb said, but she didn't know if that included parents or only students.
"Either way, it's a great turnout for this being the first year that this has happened," she said.
Participating students spent the after-school hours learning about space, crawling into a large inflatable planetarium, watching a short space-themed movie and making star charts at Parkside. Erb, her fellow science and physics club members and elementary school teachers hosted the event, according to Wendy Erb.
Paul Kinzer, an astronomy educator, was hired for the event. He's the director of Seeing Stars, a service that hosts star parties and operates an inflatable planetarium. He has been an amateur astronomer for almost 20 years and is the author of "Stargazing Basics: Getting Started in Recreational Astronomy," according to the Seeing Stars website.
Kinzer's inflatable Starlab Portable Planetarium - a big, enclosed dome with stars and other images projected onto its ceiling - was set up in the school library. Erb noted that it operates like a regular planetarium, except for being portable, and any school could get one.
"I'm excited for him to come and teach these kids about how they can stargaze at home as well, and how they can continue this interest if that's what this event sparks in them," she said.
Constellations also tie in to this year's elementary school theme of "superheroes," Erb said, because part of what students are learning about under the theme is mythology. Constellations get their names and forms from Greek mythology.
At 7:30 p.m., the party moved to Twining Park for outdoor stargazing. Kinzer set up telescopes for students to get a closer view of the celestial bodies.
With temperatures dipping into the 40s, organizers supplied hot chocolate and cider for the kids. Erb said she expected it to be "super cozy and a fun time for them."
She's hoping the Star Party isn't a one-time event for Monroe even though she won't be around next year to continue it because she's graduating this year.
"I'm just hoping to find someone who will pick it up and get it going," she said, "and just realize how important it can be to the elementary students in our town to have this kind of opportunity to learn about a bunch of different types of science."