SALUTE TO CHRISTA; BLOOMFIELD STUDENTS PAY TRIBUTE TO HERO

BLOOMFIELD -- With a string of drawings a mile long, Grace Corrigan could have circled the gymnasium twice as she pulled out the more than 800 letters and drawings from students in the Bloomfield School District.

Each creation, which ranged from drawings of space shuttles and pictures of the flag to poems and letters, was a tribute to her daughter, Christa McAuliffe, who was the first civilian to fly in space.

Bloomfield schoolchildren presented Corrigan with the pictures Thursday night at "A Musical Tribute to Christa." About 1,000 people attended the event.

Before this year, many of the students didn't even know who Christa McAuliffe was, but now they can reveal intimate details about her life -- like having to overcome motion sickness to fly in space.

McAuliffe was chosen as the first teacher to fly in space aboard the shuttle Challenger. The shuttle exploded 73 seconds after liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986, killing the entire crew.

Since this is the 10th anniversary of the Challenger explosion, Sheila Perry, technology coordinator for the schools, designed a project that would help students remember McAuliffe and improve the district's technology.

"Christa, This One's For You and the Challenger Crew," started as a simple $50,000 grant designed to teach children computer skills but it grew into a project that paid tribute to a group of heroes.

And paying tribute to an American hero isn't something that the Bloomfield School District took lightly. Students in every grade participated in the show, which was a collage of songs, poems, and pictures that were created in McAuliffe's honor.

The purpose of the grant was to find ways to keep McAuliffe's memory alive but it grew into a school-wide tribute to her, Perry said.

"The credit for this goes to her," Superintendent Robert Noyes said of Perry's work. "Through her promotions and work she's done a lot to increase the interest and awareness."

While the show pays tribute, it also does a lot of good for the district, Noyes said. It has given students a chance to use their creative skills while researching science and space exploration, he added.

"Take Your Hat Off," "Keep the Dream Alive," and "You're Gonna Hear From Me," were a few of the songs students and teachers sang -- each one was inspired by the memory of Christa McAuliffe. The songs, skits and poems were all part of the show Thursday night.

Students in the school's gifted program even won second place in a contest for a display about McAuliffe's life. Before this school year, Patrick Conner and Wesley Bell didn't even know who Christa McAuliffe was. Now they know who she was and what she did. They even talked to her mother on the phone.

"It gives you a sense of pride," Bell said of the Christa project and tribute.

As a teacher in New Hampshire, McAuliffe tried to tell all her students that they can make history themselves, said her mother, Grace Corrigan.

McAuliffe never planned to become famous, but she enjoyed the media attention because it meant that every child would hear about the space program, Corrigan said.

McAullife was chosen from more than 11,000 candidates to become the first teacher in space. In her application, she wrote that not everyone can go into space, but everyone has had a teacher. Her job was to create a global classroom.

"It was the ultimate field trip," Corrigan said. "It shows that ordinary people can do extraordinary things."

And some extraordinary things have been accomplished at Bloomfield schools.

More than 235,000 people sent responses back to the school telling students how they remembered McAuliffe on the 10th anniversary of the Challenger explosion. Others replied with memories of what she taught America.

Throughout the project, students have learned how to use electronic mail, surf the Internet and create a home page. The school's page lists the results of their Christa project. The address is http://sperry.bloomfield.k12.mo.us

After spending time researching McAuliffe's life through the Internet, the students know why Corrigan does this, Perry said. "She's good about keeping her memory alive."

COUNTDOWN

April 1995 -- Sheila Perry submits grant requesting $50,000. It is titled, "Christa, This One's For You and the Challenger Crew."

July 1995 -- Perry notified that the competitive grant was accepted by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

August 1995 -- Classes begin for Bloomfield schools.

September 1995 -- Began work on local computer network and expanded fiber optics in the district.

October 1995 -- Set up electronic mail accounts and addresses for students in grades 5-12 at school.

November and December 1995 -- Students sent e-mail notes across the Internet asking people to stop and remember the Challenger crew on the 10th anniversary.

January 1996 -- Students sent reminders via the Internet about the 10th anniversary of the explosion.

Jan. 28, 1996 -- Tenth anniversary of the Challenger explosion. Bloomfield students commemorate with 73 seconds of silence.

February and March 1996 -- Students compiled e-mail responses and planned tribute program. More than 235,000 people remembered McAuliffe and the Challenger crew on the anniversary.

April 25, 1996 -- Grace Corrigan, McAuliffe's mother, attends a "Musical Tribute to Christa" at Bloomfield gymnasium.