HOUSTON — Students all over the nation watched with anticipation during a shuttle launch on a frigid Florida morning.
“I was actually in my sixth-grade science class,” said Alvin ISD teacher Stephanie Kerlin. “I mean anything to do with space is amazing.”
The Space Shuttle Challenger was of particular interest to schools because of one of its passengers, teacher Christa McAuliffe.
"What I hope to bring back into the classroom is to make that connection that they, too, are part of history,” McAuliffe said in an interview during her training.
She was selected out of more than 11,000 educators hoping to become the first teacher in space.
"She really paved the way," Kerlin said. "For kids who just want to do something and be something when they grow up. It’s very inspiring.”
McAuliffe’s legacy played a hand in Kerlin's own teaching career. She currently leads the science department at Alvin ISD’s Pomona Elementary School.
McAuliffe also inspired the names of many schools across the nation, including Christa McAuliffe Middle School in Fort Bend ISD.
McAuliffe students observed a moment of silence Thursday, the 35th anniversary of her death. Students at Challenger Elementary in Pearland ISD did the same.
Dr. Ronald McNair Junior High in Alvin ISD is one of the newest schools named for a Challenger crew member.
"It was a tragedy that it happened,” Kerlin said.
But she believes Challenger continues to provide valuable lessons.
"Kids interested in space, in general," Kerlin said. "Something good came out of it.”