Elementary Students to Visit NASA-KSC with Help of Area Businesses

Zietler Insurance and Florida’s TRDA Raise Funds to Send Fifth Grade to SEE NASA

          Titusville, Fla. – May 14, 2002 – Great news for the fifth grade students of Palm River elementary school in Tampa, it’s time to SEE NASA. Fifty students from the Tampa elementary school will participate in the Student Educational Experience at NASA or SEE NASA, due in large part to the fundraising efforts of Tampa-area businessman Rick Zietler.

Zietler worked with Florida’s Technological Research and Development Authority, who donated $2,500 toward the cause, to encourage area organizations to help raise the $10,000 needed to bring the students to the Kennedy Space Center for the program. SEE NASA introduces elementary students to the history and future of space exploration while emphasizing the importance of math and science. Fifty students from Palm River participated in the two-day program earlier this year under the Governor’s A+ Plan to recognize schools with dramatically improved FCAT scores.

“Through programs such as SEE NASA, we help young people realize their dreams can become a reality. Understanding the importance of science, math and technology to space exploration, sparks a student’s curiosity to learn and challenge themselves,” says Florida First Lady Columba Bush. “I’m pleased to see teacher training incorporated into SEE NASA through The Endeavour Academy. With initiatives focused on teacher professional development, Florida will lead the way in better preparing our teachers for the classroom and answer the call of the No Child Left Behind Act signed into law by President Bush.”

Zietler spearheaded fundraising efforts including a $1,600 donation from the Tampa Bay Lightening Foundation and a $1,000 from John Noriega, Roman Tales. Other generous donors include Maj. Elaine White, Orient Road Jail; William Hoge, Nationwide Insurance; William Bissett, Palm River Plaza; Transportation Control Systems, Inc.; Becky Tiemann, Oncology Management Services, Inc.; Bill’s Prescription Center; LeMar and Morris Hanna, C.P.A.A., P.A.; Lt. Col. And Mrs. Zietler, Ricky Bell, Mr. And Mrs. Radebaugh, Marilyn Stockelman, and Dr. Patricia Jeansonne, Community Pediatrics.

The Endeavour Academy, a teacher professional development organization, will provide special training sessions this summer to prepare teachers to better educate their students on the history and the future of space exploration. The Endeavour Academy hopes to encourage teachers to use math, science and technology in their classrooms, raise awareness among teachers of free resources and provide materials for easy incorporation into established curriculums.