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Striking Sparks Telescope Awards Program

 

2011 Sparks Winners left to right: Hana Jafari, Connor Nielsen, Austin Henderson, Olivia Pimentel, Conrad Smith, Zander Voge

 

Striking Sparks

The program’s name comes from the experience of one of our members: He and his son built a telescope and this struck a “spark” of interest that contributed to the son’s ultimately graduating with a Ph.D. in Astrophysics.

Our goal is to strike other sparks of interest in Sonoma County students. During the 27 years of the program we have awarded 240 6-inch reflector telescopes to Sonoma County students. Winners automatically become members of SCAS for a full year, receive our monthly newsletter Sonoma Skies, and the Astronomical League's quarterly publication, Reflector.

Applicants must:

• Be a Sonoma County student in first through eighth grade
• Attend one or more SCAS meetings or the Robert Ferguson Observatory so we can meet you
• Be nominated by your teacher or by SCAS members
• Write an essay about your interest in astronomy

How to Enter

To get the ball rolling, students, parents and teachers are encouraged to obtain an entry packet here:
Striking Sparks Entry Packet. You will need Adobe Reader to open it.

Contest entries must be postmarked no later than Saturday, February 18, 2012. Telescopes will be awarded to the contest winners at the Wednesday, March 14, 2012 Sonoma County Astronomical Society meeting at Proctor Terrace Elementary School.

Sponsorship

You or your organization may sponsor a telescope and participate in this worthwhile program. The cost to sponsor a “Striking Sparks” telescope is $250. An engraved sponsor plaque is attached to each telescope. Contact Larry McCune, Striking Sparks Coordinator, at: llmccune@comcast.net

 

Spring 2011 Awards

This is the 26th year of the Striking Sparks program and we can proclaim that 240 telescopes have been awarded to Sonoma County students in the course of those years.

On Wednesday eve, March 9, the Proctor Terrace meeting room was full of excitement when we celebrated the awarding of six Striking Sparks telescopes to deserving students that had entered the 2011 essay contest. The winners were accompanied by some very supportive teachers, parents and sponsors that shared the festivities. An astronomically-themed cake was served after the President's PowerPoint presentation on the telescope, accessories and the safety concern of not pointing the scope at the Sun. Then, a Celestron refractor was raffled off and it was time to get down to the main event.

Larry McCune gave a short history of how the program began in Bob Ferguson's basement workshop where telescopes were fabricated to award to students as a way of stimulating an interest in science and astronomy.
The names of the Striking Sparks winners were read and they proudly walked up to the stage and stood with their telescopes for pictures. Each winner was then joined by his or her teacher, sponsor and mentor and more picture taking ensued.

Despite predictions to the contrary, the sky was clear and the winners assembled outside to learn how to use their telescopes and view the Orion Nebula, the Pleiades, Saturn rising above the trees and various constellations. Thus ended another successful Striking Sparks event.

Here are some comments we received from parents:

"Thank you for the wonderful opportunity you offer to the students of Sonoma County and what a delight it is to have a recipient of this program. Last night was one of those times that I went home so glad to be an educator. Thank you! Also, thank you for the raffle and to be the winner—priceless!"

"We have a very excited boy and his younger brother on our hands. They are both eager to use the scope, and it already made it outside last night after Conrad's Little League baseball game.
Thank you again for this incredible gift."

We want to thank Orion Telescopes and Binoculars for providing a discount purchase of the telescopes; Scope City for providing extra 10mm eyepiece;, and telescope sponsors Bruce MacEvoy, Janet Randall and the Hejtmanek family annual fund. We also appreciate the anonymous sponsor who sponsored three telescopes with extra eyepieces. Thanks to Dickson and BJ Yeager who provided star charts and lens cleaning equipment.

 

Front Row, Sparks Winners left to right: Hana Jafari, Connor Nielsen, Austin Henderson, Olivia Pimentel, Conrad Smith, Zander Voge.
Back row, left to right: Teacher: Mrs. Hancock; Hejtmanek Family Representative: Paul Doyle of Upbeat Times, Teacher: Linda Szczech; Sponsor: Bruce MacEvoy; Sponsor: Janet Randall; Teacher: Jody Venard; Teacher: Scott Granger; Teacher: Martie Adams.

We really appreciate the role teachers have played in nominating students, evaluating their essays and joining us at this event. We could not do the program without teacher support.