Lessons on stars and galaxies often turn into something much bigger than a quick science unit. For Gifted and Talented (GT) elementary students, the night sky turns into a starting point for big questions about time, discovery and their place in the universe.
Texarkana Independent School District’s Morriss Elementary hosted an evening program on March 19, 2026, specifically for GT students. During the event, Texas High School astronomy teacher Nathan Upchurch shared his expertise in astronomy to students, explaining difficult ideas in a simple way and showing students that what they learn in class connects to the world beyond Earth.
“Mrs. Haley Williams from Westlawn and Mrs. Erin Brieby, the GT coordinator, asked if I would give a presentation based [on] a theme they are doing for GT students,” Upchurch said. “This event is about space.”
Upchurch hopes to show students how the theme of space influences the world around them in ways they might not realize.
“Students and families will come away from the event learning how we get the days of the week, months, years and things such as [the origin] of the names and how astronomy cycles are associated with them,” Upchurch said. “I really want students and families to appreciate how astronomy is fundamental to our culture and society.”
Across the country, astronomy clubs give people a chance to connect and explore the night sky. Individuals interested in stargazing can often join these clubs, attend public observation nights or participate in an event like this.
“Studying the night sky can give us our sense of place in the universe and provides a calm look at the sky, [despite] our busy schedules,” Upchurch said. “Many cities have astronomy clubs people can join to view the night sky with others and sometimes universities will offer public viewings with their equipment.”
The Babylonians divided the sky into 360 degrees and gave humans 365 days in the year. They also divided the day into 24 hours with 60 minutes in each hour.
“Many of the names of the days of the week and months come from Roman and Greek gods, ancient leaders and stars from Babylonian names,” Upchurch said. “We will view Jupiter and its moons, so we will briefly discuss Galileo’s discovery and influence on the heliocentric universe.”
Continuing his efforts to promote space education, Upchurch takes part in America’s Favorite Teacher contest.
“The America’s Favorite Teacher contest is a fundraising campaign to raise money for The Planetary Society,” Upchurch said. “It was started by Carl Sagan and others to empower the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration. Bill Nye is the CEO currently.”
The contest continues to grow into a well-known competition that highlights teachers who go above and beyond for their students while also supporting a larger scientific mission.
“The contest is very competitive with many great teachers in K-12 across the nation,” Upchurch said. “[Right now, we have] three fantastic teachers that I know of at the high school running in the contest, [which includes] Mrs. Diaz, Mrs. Huggins and myself.”
People can cast one free vote each day, but they also have the option to purchase additional votes. Other entries from across the district may also be competing in the contest.
“The winner will have Bill Nye come and speak to the students, receive $25,000, a trip to Hawaii and an article in Reader’s Digest,” Upchurch said. “From what I can tell so far, we are placed into voting groups and have to win out our group by March 26 to continue in the contest.”
