OHS teacher shoots for the stars, lands STEM grant

Zachariah Haverly’s dream for his Odessa High School students to not only view but also photograph the heavens is coming into clearer focus with a $6,500 STEM grant from the Toshiba America Foundation (TAF) that will allow him to purchase a new 9.25” equatorial telescope for his Astronomy classes. Haverly’s grant is 1 of 23 innovative classroom projects announced by TAF this month totaling more than $105,000. The grant for OHS is one of the largest awarded in this cycle.

“It has become second nature to think of space as an unobtainable, fantasy driven, outlet that may not actually be real,” said Haverly. “But then students put their eye up to the eyepiece of a telescope, and they see the rings of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter, and that all falls away to nothing. Space becomes real all over again.”

Haverly pursued this grant to bring the planets, stars and galaxies to life for his students. Toshiba America Foundation’s grants fund projects designed by individual classroom teachers. This “direct-to-teacher” approach brings immediate results. Teachers are able to change the way they teach Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects because the grant supports equipment for hands-on experiments and inquiry-based approaches to the curriculum.

Haverly said this project will provide students with a much more powerful, accurate, and dependable means of monitoring the night sky in real time through visual astronomy and astrophotography. An equatorial telescope tracks the motion of the earth and its rotation down to fractions of a degree.

“It’s imperative for students to get out from behind a computer screen and get behind a telescope to experience the wonders of the cosmos for themselves,” Haverly added. “OHS learners will be able to take images of celestial objects and become involved in ‘real time’ study with professional astronomers and other scientists.”

“Mr Haverly is clearly passionate about astronomy,” said OHS Principal Hector Limon. “It is incredibly inspiring to see him share that passion with his students. The grants he has been awarded will allow him to spread that enthusiasm and skill to an exponentially.”

This grant fits nicely with a unique asset at OHS: a retractable observatory, built in 1969. Refurbished in 2021, the observatory offers a unique opportunity to study astronomy using new smart telescopes and photography equipment.  

"STEM occupations are vital to the long-term growth and stability of the U.S. economy," said John Anderson, President of TAF. "STEM education is key to cultivating the critical thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators that will drive our country forward. Through these grants, TAF is empowering teachers to create more dynamic and engaging STEM classrooms that inspire and challenge students to pursue careers in these essential fields. By investing in the next generation of STEM leaders, we are laying the foundation for a brighter, more prosperous future for all.”