On May 21^st, Templeton Secondary had the privilege of hosting retired NASA Astronaut Mary Ellen Weber as a guest speaker for over 400 students of the Templeton family of schools. Orchestrated by Templeton Principal Aaron Davis, the US Consulate arranged for Weber to visit Templeton to educate students on the career path of an astronaut.

According to Davis, the students were excited to have Weber as a guest speaker. During Weber's presentation Templeton's students learned about how astronauts prepare to go into space and the dedication required to become an astronaut. Students were also challenged to set their life goals high and told that any one of them could be one of the next generation of astronauts who will one day land on Mars. 

During her visit, Weber told stories and provided a lesson on the law of gravity, mentioning how we are moving at such a fast pace that we are actually falling, not floating, and we just keep missing the planet.  Weber's candid talk was light hearted and full of humor. But she also warned students of the dangers of leaving the earth's atmosphere. She said once you are named to be on a shuttle flight, life insurance options disappear. This might be due to the fact that "you are strapped to a rocket filled with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, both highly combustible."

Davis says all in all it was a wonderful presentation. "It's super empowering for all of our students to put a face to this career and see an astronaut who has been to space. It is very inspiring," says Davis.

Earlier this year, Templeton students were visited by David Saint-Jacques from the Canadian Space Agency, making this the second visit from an astronaut this school year.

(photo courtesy of NASA - http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/)