A Lesson That’s More Than Academic : Space Campers Learn to Explore the Universe Beyond Their Neighborhood

It’s easy to declare that some school districts are failures. But time is better spent looking beneath the surface for individual campuses that are innovative and thriving regardless of the odds.

Reporter David Wharton’s story Monday about Oxnard Street Elementary School in North Hollywood is a case in point. Its students are mostly immigrant children of Latino, Vietnamese and Armenian descent. Nevertheless, educators there have decided that part of their mission is to show these children a slice of life beyond the limited experiences offered by their communities.

For Oxnard, it started when teachers sought out Universal Studios to inquire about ways in which their students might benefit. It continued when Universal invited Oxnard students to participate in a model rocket contest to promote the film “Apollo 13.”

A Rocketdyne engineer helped students build the rocket. Each member of the winning team received about $1,500 in air fare and tuition for astronaut training at the U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala.

Students Chris Orantes, Cynthia Zuniga, brothers Jesus and Miguel Ruiz, Laura Blanco and Martha Sencion got to work inside a million-dollar space shuttle simulator. But there was much more to it than that. Some of these students had never left their neighborhoods before, much less flown in an airplane.

Among the lessons: The Oxnard pupils met the challenges and gained confidence in the process. A simulated space shuttle flight showed them that teamwork is essential in any project, regardless of whether the teammates have different incomes, different native languages or different hues.

As Oxnard teacher Arlene Delaney put it: “When given the opportunity, these kids really come through.” That sounds like “Mission accomplished” to us.