Editor’s Note – This is the first in an ongoing series of stories about Pearl Hall Elementary School’s Building Cultural Bridges program.

Learning experiences at Pearl Hall Elementary have gone out of this world – in a sense – at Pearl Hall Elementary.

NASA Astronaut Col. Michael Lopez-Alegria visited with students at the campus as part of the school’s partnership with the space agency through the Building Cultural Bridges program. Lopez-Alegria, who was born in Spain, is a veteran of several Space Shuttle missions – including Space Shuttle Endeavor’s (STS-113) 16th mission to visit the International Space Station. In addition, he served on the International Space Station from September 2006 to April 2007.

The Building Cultural Bridges program is a partnership between NASA, Johnson Space Center, the Houston Symphony, the Society for Performing Arts, the Houston Grand Opera, the consul general’s office and the Norwegian Seaman’s Church. The program is designed to expose students to science and technology, along with music and cultures from around the globe.

“This program is bringing a whole new world of learning to our students,” said Jami Lupold, Pearl Hall music teacher who started the program on campus, along with her mother and fellow teacher Pat Surface. “We can’t take them around the world, so this is our way of bringing the world to them.”

During Lopez-Alegria’s visit, he sat down for an interview session with several students. A main point he stressed to students is that “education is the key to success.”

“If you want to be an astronaut, a scientist or a musician, you need to have a good grasp in reading, math and science,” he said. “In any career you choose, what you learn here is what will help you be successful as you go through life.”

Lopez-Alegria received a Bachelor of Science degree in systems engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and his master’s in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Academy’s post-graduate school. He is also a graduate of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security. He speaks four languages – English, Spanish, French and Russian.

“Always remember that if you reach for the stars, you can make all of your dreams come true,” he said.

Lopez-Alegria’s recent visit to Pearl Hall was not his first contact with the students. While on board the International Space Station last December, astronauts Thomas Reiter of Germany and Lopez-Alegria, mission control played recordings of “Still, Still, Still,” in German and English and “Riu, Riu, Chiu,” in Spanish sung by the Pearl Hall choir as a surprise for Christmas. Selections from the choir’s Christmas concert were later uploaded to the space station for the crew’s enjoyment throughout the holidays.
Fourth grade student D.J. Rodarte said it is activities such as this through the Building Cultural Bridges program that inspire him to learn.

“It is interesting to see how things like music and space united all of us,” he said.

Since the program began at Pearl Hall in 2002, the school has hosted musicians from Mexico, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, France and Denmark. Astronauts who have participated in the program with Pearl Hall students include Dan Burbank, Chris Hadfield of Canada and Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, along with a host of many other international astronauts, scientists and engineers.