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We received the following messages about our planetarium programs in the
same week:

"Thank you so much for having [our] afterschool kids for your star show
and movie.
It's so rare these kids get a chance to get out of their neighborhoods and
see interesting things. I feel your services are so important. Our kids
need to see how vast our universe is. I think they forget about areas
outside their small community. I also feel the star show opened up a way
for some of these kids to escape some of the violence that is going on
around them. By looking up into the sky and looking at stars and the moon,
they can dream about better, bigger things that do not include yelling,
shooting or fires. Thank you for being patient with their behaviors, they
do try."

The preceding resulted from a visit to a basic "Sky Tonight" presentation,
organized by our local astronomy club (http://www.rochesterastronomy.org)
working with a community ministry. They have a multi-week plan for the
kids, leading up to an upcoming public star party at which the kids will
have their first encounter with the night sky.

The next one came from a third-grade school presentation, "Cycles in the
Sky," a very simple live demonstration of day and night and the seasons:

"I chaperoned my daughter's class trip to the planetarium today. I went
out to really look at the night sky for the first time in years tonight. I
learned so much today. Thanks for reawakening the wonder of the sky for
me. My daughter fell asleep early tonight, but we'll look together
tomorrow."


Steve Fentress, Director
Strasenburgh Planetarium
Rochester Museum & Science Center
657 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14607 USA
phone (585)  697-1946
fax (585) 271-7146
e-mail [log in to unmask]
www.rmsc.org

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