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A Universe Of Their Very Own

Tribune photo by CHRISTINE DeLESSIO

Students at Veterans Elementary in Wesley Chapel are treated to the SpaceLab, a portable planetarium Thursday.

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By RONNIE BLAIR

rblair@tampatrib.com

Published: January 23, 2009

WESLEY CHAPEL - Kristen Sheahan recalls it as one of her most thrilling elementary school memories, circa the early 1990s.

StarLab, an inflatable planetarium, paid a visit to Sanders Memorial Elementary each year. Sheahan and her friends would crawl into the darkness, lie on their backs and peer at a faux night sky as constellations materialized on the domed ceiling above.

"It was fun," said Sheahan, now grown up and teaching fifth grade at Veterans Elementary School. "We didn't have as many schools back then, so we got to have it for longer periods of time."

Sheahan wants the students at Veterans Elementary to experience the same kind of excitement she did so many years ago, so she made sure the county's newest elementary school booked a StarLab visit this year.

The portable planetarium, which is owned by the Pasco County School District and shared by schools across the county, arrived on campus this week and will remain at Veterans through Thursday.

"Our kids love it, absolutely love it," Assistant Principal Jason Petry said.

Veterans Elementary set up StarLab in the media center, where its dome nearly touched the ceiling. A constantly running fan kept the planetarium inflated.

Students and teachers enter the structure by crawling through a short tunnel. Their entry requires careful planning because if the flap over the tunnel stays open too long, air escapes, and the dome will begin to collapse.

A cylinder mounted in the middle of StarLab projects the stars onto the domed ceiling. Teachers can choose from six cylinders, each providing a different lesson. The one Sheahan chose Thursday is about the role constellations played in American Indian myths.

StarLab can accommodate about 15 to 20 students at a time. Sometimes the students must sit with legs crossed to make room for everyone, but when a class wasn't too big, Sheahan allowed the children to stretch out and lie on their backs, which she said was an even better experience.

StarLab was a hit with Trevor Garced, 9, a third-grader experiencing the planetarium for the first time.

"It was really cool," Trevor said.

In the stories of American Indians, the constellations took the form of living creatures. Trevor especially liked the "spider" constellation.

Kaleb Pease, 9, couldn't pick a favorite constellation. He liked them all.

"It was pretty fun," he said. "It was amusing."

Alexia Vizcarra, 8, is a StarLab veteran.

"I've seen it since kindergarten," the third-grader said. "My favorite constellation is the butterfly. It looks really cool."

Parents at Veterans Elementary got a chance to experience StarLab at a special science night Wednesday.

The school district has just one StarLab, purchased about 30 years ago, so the competition is stiff for scheduling a visit, Sheahan said.

This is how competitive: Sheahan was married over the summer. She returned from the honeymoon with her thoughts already focused on StarLab.

New bride or not, she knew she had no time to dillydally. She immediately called the district offices to reserve the planetarium a good six months in advance.

"It books," Sheahan said. "It books for the entire year."

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218.

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