Oxnard Students Flying High Over Class Field Trip to U.S. Space Center

Shuttle simulators. Mission control. Zero gravity.

For Albert Mesa, a seventh-grader at E.O. Green School, the field trip to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., sounded too good to be true.

And without $1,100 to pay for the trip, it would have been.

But Albert wrote an essay that won him a $550 scholarship from a local businessman. He also wrote a letter to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, where his father is a deputy. Albert’s quest was published in a national peace officers magazine, and the contributions started trickling in from places as far away as Texas.

On Sunday, Albert will join 19 other sixth-, seventh- and eighth- graders from E.O. Green, for what some call the trip of their short lifetimes.

Most of them raised their own money in a variety of ways--baby-sitting, recycling, gardening, housecleaning and even garage sales.

In five days at the space camp, they will team with students from all over the world, flying simulated shuttle flights from the cockpit and commanding them from mission control. Like Apollo 13 movie stars, they will experience zero-gravity conditions.

“It’s a marvelous experience,” said Marla Petal, a trustee of the Hueneme School District. “There is nothing better to inspire a child. This is a trip they will never forget.”

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The field trip is the brainchild of science teacher Judy Burnett, who will chaperon the kids on their journey along with teacher Cris Kildee. It is the first of its kind for a Ventura County school, Burnett said.

But she prefers to spotlight her students, who worked hard to pay for the trip.

During class Thursday, she supervised students visiting the space center’s Internet site. At the click of the mouse, Tyson Burchett, a seventh-grader who raised money collecting cans, washing cars and selling candy bars, looked at the view from a shuttle cockpit.

“Visiting the NASA sites on the Internet got them really excited,” Burnett said.

After they return from space camp, the students will share their experiences with students on the Internet, Principal Deloris Carn said. And their personal stories very likely will get more students interested in the program.

“Students are already saving for next year,” Burnett said.

In his winning essay, Albert Mesa explained his interest in science and space.

“Will we ever be able to live on Mars? Is there any other life besides us?” he asked. “I think the cure for AIDS and cancer may lay somewhere in space. I would like to find the answers to some of my questions.”

Amanda Burwick, a seventh-grader who also won a $550 scholarship, explained how her interests in marine biology and space are linked.

“I want to learn why the moon affects the tides,” Amanda said. She raised her money with proceeds from a garage sale, housecleaning and a birthday contribution from her parents.

“The most exciting thing for me is meeting people from all over,” Amanda said. “And it means more to me because I did it myself.”

And just three days before liftoff, Burnett is trying to keep the students’ excitement under control.

“I am really proud of them,” she said. “They’ve worked so hard for this.”