Tippecanoe School Corporation
Hershey students explore the stars
Sue Scott

Leo the Lion is the name of the constellation that Hershey Elementary School student Henry Whitlock chose to study as part of his constellation project. “Leo is 80 light years from the sun,” says Henry. “My constellation is shaped like half of a horse with a trapezoid with a line coming out of it with half of a head.”

Henry began his research on the moon and stars after a visit to the district’s StarLab, a huge inflatable planetarium that uses a computer and projector to display the wonders of space. Fifth grade teacher Stephanie Salmon says the dome gives students an opportunity to explore the Greek constellations, moon phases and star fields.

For her project, student Alex Crum chose the constellation Cassiopeia: “It is the 25th largest constellation. It has five main stars with many other stars and planets. Casiopeia is known as the vain queen. It was part of a royal family.”

The SIA Foundation recently awarded a grant to Hershey Elementary School to replace its projector with a high-quality digital projector. “We hope StarLab will continue to captivate the interest and curiosity of students throughout the district, as well as foster a deeper understanding of astronomy and space science,” says Salmon.

Henry with project
Alex Crum with project