Houston... we have some people to thank!
Space Night Was Out of This World!
Mission Accomplished! Welcome home, Artemis II crew. We are inspired by your courage and profoundly grateful for your dedication to advancing space exploration and education. We are especially thankful for your safe return to planet Earth.
Congratulations to all students who successfully completed their Galactic Passport mission. Your curiosity, determination, and stellar navigation skills made this journey one for the history books. We hope you enjoyed every moment tracking clues across the cosmos!
From our pool of outstanding explorers, two crew members were randomly selected for special mission rewards… Grant (Polling) and Erin A. (Root), you’ve been cleared for prize deployment! You’ve each earned a galactic slime kit and a NASA swag bag packed with space-worthy treasures. (You can pick them up from the office on Friday).
We are also thrilled to celebrate the success of Space Night 2026! The WAES Planetarium Committee extends its sincere gratitude to Dr. Zaks, Ms. Hammer, and the entire Wood Acres faculty and staff—including Ms. Reveron and Ms. Naum—as well as the many teachers who generously shared their classrooms.
We are deeply appreciative of the Wood Acres PTA, including the communications team; our dedicated parent volunteers; our planetarium volunteers; SSL student volunteers; and the WAES building services team, led by Ms. Talavera.
Special thanks go to Ms. Kisslinger, Ms. Triay, Ms. Brown, Bricks4Kidz, and astrophysicist Dr. Antara Basu-Zych for generously sharing their time and expertise.
Finally, thank you to the families who attended, supported the event, and shared in our love of space. We are truly grateful for your enthusiasm and support in making this evening such a memorable one.
If you forgot to order your 2026 Space Night Swag, we have a few items left, including adult T shirts (2 small sizes, 2 medium sizes & 2 large sizes available, $25 each), a youth T shirt (large size, $25), adult T shirts in retro royal blue (3 large, 3 extra large available, $25 each), and plenty of water-proof 3-inch mission patches ($2).
The Planetarium Committee
Thank You Space Night Coordinators!
300+ attendees, endless curiosity, and a night full of hands-on fun—Space Night delivered! From rover design and rocket building to a space disco and STEAM activities, Wood Acres was buzzing with energy.
The kids vs. parents game show was a highlight—kids took the win and proved their space expertise. (It must be all of those planetarium lessons!)
With excitement building around Artemis II, this year’s event felt especially timely—and even included a special message from astronaut, Scott Kelly, making the night one to remember.
A huge thank you to Nicole Cohen, the driving force behind Space Night and our Planetarium program. Her creativity, energy, and dedication are extraordinary—truly above and beyond.
We’re also so grateful to the entire Space Night committee and all of the parent volunteers—an incredible team effort that made the night shine.
To every participant—thank you for joining the mission and helping make this adventure truly out of this world. Until our next launch… keep reaching for the stars!
Natalie Miller, VP Academic Support