Senior Scott Beers decided to focus his project on the school’s outdated planetarium.

Since October, Beers has fundraised over $26,000 to purchase a new digital laser projection system that will replace the current system projector that dates back to 1969.

Once the space is renovated, the district plans on using it for classes and community events.

“I want to be able to give to the community and say that I did something positive for everyone else,” Beers said.

Mirror photo by Colette Costlow / Glendale senior Scott Beers (from left) stands next to former science teacher Paul Conway and current science teacher Ethan Maneval in front of the planetarium projector.

Stargazing

Former high school science teacher Paul Conway became familiar with the school’s planetarium projector while teaching science and astronomy courses.

A majority of earth and space classes would take place in the planetarium, said former student and current high school science teacher Ethan Maneval.

There, Conway taught students about stars, constellations and mythology surrounding the atmosphere.

After Conway retired in 2011, however, the planetarium began to collect dust as the equipment became “unusable,” school Principal Rick Kozak said.

It became difficult to fix the current equipment as replacement parts were either no longer available, difficult to find or expensive to purchase, Beers posted on the Glendale Facebook page.

Maneval then began to search for possible restoration solutions.

According to Maneval, the previous principal contacted the same company that installed the school’s original system projector, but they quoted the school $150,000.

“Which is completely out of our reach,” he added.

While planetarium efforts were up in the air, Beers had an idea this summer to renovate the space.

Money would be Beers’ biggest adversary, which was why he launched a fundraising website this fall.

Blasting off

With Maneval as Beers’ faculty advisor, Beers raised more than $26,000 for a new digital laser projection system in under two months.

They also ran a space-themed merchandise sale with proceeds going to the new projector system.

“The community has been phenomenal with supporting it,” he said.

As of now, Beers and Maneval are looking into computerized digital systems.

With a new digital system, Beers said it can be used for classes outside of astronomy courses, and it can easily hook up to the new digital laser projection system.

It can also move through space in 3D, Beers said, adding that users can visit surfaces on Earth and other planets as well.

The new system will be a 360-degree projector that can handle computer media, Maneval said.

“Any sort of 3D model that we can get our hands on, we can project on the dome and use it as a theater for different media,” he said.

Using the software’s astronomy program, Maneval went on to say that users can travel to the Southern Hemisphere and see the night sky exactly as it would appear in real time.

Users can also set the time in the past and in the future to see the movement of different stars and planets.

Beers plans on wrapping up the fundraiser once they can afford the new projector system, but he said the public is more than welcome to continue donating, so the school can eventually afford new software, seating and a sound system for the planetarium.

Going forward, Maneval wants to use the new system “as much as we can.”

If an elementary teacher wants to teach a lesson about the moon, he said they can “turn on the system, press play and it will bring it up.”

“You won’t necessarily need somebody to become a true expert,” he said

New heights

Beers and Maneval plan on naming the planetarium after Conway.

Dedicating the space to Conway will acknowledge his service to the school, Maneval said.

His former students are also donating to the planetarium, remembering their impactful experiences.

Because of Beers’ efforts, Maneval is hopeful the planetarium can continue to be a “memorable, valuable experience” for incoming students.

While students can benefit from the planetarium’s renovation, it can also bring “something good back” to their district and community, Kozak said.

During district parent-

teacher nights, he said parents still inquired about the planetarium, but Kozak said it wasn’t functional at the time.

“This would be a piece of Glendale that would reconnect the school with the community again, because it was something that was a big part of students’ lives until Conway retired,” he said.

As for Beers’ future, his plan is to attend college for electrical and computer engineering.

He enjoys working with the school’s old and new planetarium technology, so he’s considering following that interest into his professional career.

“And he could be building the next generation of satellites and sending them up” into space, Maneval said.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.