On Saturday May 10 I had the distinct priviledge or traveling to Weirton West Virginia to assist a very special lady, her husband, and friends with a discover/try scuba type event through the organization- Space is Special 
Welcome to Space Is Special!!
which is tied to Space Camp in Huntsville Alabama
My YMCA instructor trainer, Mike Convery, who owns Pittsburgh Scuba Center in Pittsburgh, Pa donated the use of 10 sets of gear and my services, with my ok of course, to them. Space is Special is run by a man named Mike Kerjes in Harvest, Alabama. He was a special education teacher for 22 years. This is what makes this program special. The kids in this program all have some form of disability. Whether mental, physical, or emotional they all have some issues to overcome. THe program involves taking these kids and giving them some self respect and empowerment. THe kids I worked with have given up every Saturday since february to train together, learn together, and work together to reach their goals. In addition they need to keep out of trouble, keep their grades up, maintain attendance in school, and do what they are told( for some of them this is a big order with their issues)One of their goals is attending Space Camp for a week at NASA's Huntsville facility.:14: There they get to train like astronauts, fly the shuttle simulator, and dive in NASA's big pool. This weekend was a prep for that.
Along with Mike's wife Dana, who just happens to be a NAUI Course Director and in charge of Astronaut Scuba Training for NASA:14:, my self and 12 kids had a blast in the pool. Basic skills were gone over, and then we descended to the deep end where two tetrahedrons, think giant tinker toys that screw together, were waiting. The teams of three students each had to disassemble and reassemble these things. They are great teaching aids! I gotta try to get some. Anyway we had a great time. Seeing these kids problem solve, work as a team, and do things like clear a mask almost instinctively after about 10 minutes of instruction while performing this task gave me a good feeling inside.
I can't wait to see them again at the annual banquet in July and find out how camp went. I'm also trying to figure out a way to do a vacation to Huntsville and take Dana up on her invitation to dive in NASA's swimming pool(24 feet deep, 90 degrees, with all the neat space toys in it)!:14: In any case this group relies on donations and support from outside sources. To check it out follow the link and have a look at the site. Then let your conscience be your guide. Jim
Welcome to Space Is Special!!which is tied to Space Camp in Huntsville Alabama
My YMCA instructor trainer, Mike Convery, who owns Pittsburgh Scuba Center in Pittsburgh, Pa donated the use of 10 sets of gear and my services, with my ok of course, to them. Space is Special is run by a man named Mike Kerjes in Harvest, Alabama. He was a special education teacher for 22 years. This is what makes this program special. The kids in this program all have some form of disability. Whether mental, physical, or emotional they all have some issues to overcome. THe program involves taking these kids and giving them some self respect and empowerment. THe kids I worked with have given up every Saturday since february to train together, learn together, and work together to reach their goals. In addition they need to keep out of trouble, keep their grades up, maintain attendance in school, and do what they are told( for some of them this is a big order with their issues)One of their goals is attending Space Camp for a week at NASA's Huntsville facility.:14: There they get to train like astronauts, fly the shuttle simulator, and dive in NASA's big pool. This weekend was a prep for that.
Along with Mike's wife Dana, who just happens to be a NAUI Course Director and in charge of Astronaut Scuba Training for NASA:14:, my self and 12 kids had a blast in the pool. Basic skills were gone over, and then we descended to the deep end where two tetrahedrons, think giant tinker toys that screw together, were waiting. The teams of three students each had to disassemble and reassemble these things. They are great teaching aids! I gotta try to get some. Anyway we had a great time. Seeing these kids problem solve, work as a team, and do things like clear a mask almost instinctively after about 10 minutes of instruction while performing this task gave me a good feeling inside.
I can't wait to see them again at the annual banquet in July and find out how camp went. I'm also trying to figure out a way to do a vacation to Huntsville and take Dana up on her invitation to dive in NASA's swimming pool(24 feet deep, 90 degrees, with all the neat space toys in it)!:14: In any case this group relies on donations and support from outside sources. To check it out follow the link and have a look at the site. Then let your conscience be your guide. Jim
