It was 11:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, on the football field at Fayette Middle School and no one — not students, parents, teachers or astronomers — wanted to go home.

Some were still in lines, hoping to catch another glimpse of the night sky through one of ten telescopes arranged on the field. Others simply gazed upward, satisfied with a naked eye view while they listened to the astronomers talk.

This was Star Night, organized by the sixth-grade science teachers at Fayette Middle and hosted by Vince Garland and seven of his amateur astronomer friends from all over the country. Elated at the chance to share their telescopes and their love of astronomy with FMS sixth-graders, the team treated their guests to, among other things, a breathtaking view of the waxing moon, a glimpse of Mars as it nears its closest conjunction with Earth until the year 2018, a crystal clear vision of a binary star, and even a peek at the spirals of a distant galaxy. As part of the event the astronomers arranged for each student to receive a complimentary copy of Astronomy Magazine with bonus pull-outs of the universe, the Sun, and the Moon.

“We were excited to offer our students this opportunity,” said sixth-grade science teacher Jennifer Robinson. “The turnout was about 300, which was amazing.”

Science teachers Ginger Markham and Wendy Broich agreed. “Our feedback from parents and students was extremely enthusiastic,” said Broich.

“Of course,” quipped Markham, “what I heard from most students was how they couldn't wait to tell the sixth-graders who didn't come how much they missed!”

Sixth graders claiming bragging rights for attending an extracurricular academic event — now that's amazing.

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