Top 10 Reasons to Preserve the FCPS Planetarium Program
    1. It's fun to visit a planetarium! Teachers and students enjoy visiting the planetarium and learn a lot during their visit, and we have the survey data which shows clearly that the FCPS Planetarium Program is extraordinarily successful!
    2. We have space for everyone! The nine FCPS Planetaria serve every student enrolled in Grade Level 4, 5, & 6, delivering high-quality, hands-on instruction which meets or exceeds the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) and FCPS Program of Studies (POS) in astronomy and meteorology. In addition, the planetaria are used frequently by school and community groups such as PTAs, civic associations, adult education classes, and boy & girl scout troops.
    3. The sky touches everyone! A visit to the planetarium is a multisensory aesthetic experience that provides immeasurable motivation for many students. For Spacious Skies, a non-profit national effort to increase sky awareness and concern, reports compelling evidence of increased academic performance as a result of increasing students' sky awareness. In 1986, a Harvard study of sky-based learning proved that "sky-aware" students surpass "non-sky" students in several areas of learning, including music appreciation, literary skills, and visual arts skills. Another case in point: read the sky poetry written by Carl Sandburg Middle School Grade Level 7 Language Arts students after their visit to the planetarium--very compelling evidence that the FCPS Planetarium Program is extraordinarily inspiring!
    4. Anytime--day or night, rain or shine--sit back, relax, look up and behold the beauty and the wonder of the night sky! The unique 3-D immersive environment of the planetarium is the ideal environment in which to learn about astronomy and meteorology.
    5. Virtual reality is far better than reality! As a result of urban light pollution, we see only the 25-or-so brightest stars in the real sky and familiar constellations such as the Big Dipper and Orion the Hunter are often difficult to see. Another sad fact-of-life in a major urban area: in many neighborhoods, it's unsafe for unsupervised young children to go outside at night to skywatch. In contrast, the planetarium--which shows the sky as it would appear in a more pristine environment--provides a safe, stimulating place for children to learn about the sky.
    6. "Oh, I get it!" The nine FCPS planetarium teachers are uniquely qualified to deliver instruction in astronomy and meteorology that is scientifically accurate yet interesting and accessible to younger students. Among the nine FCPS planetarium teachers, one team member is formerly Secretary and President of the Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society (MAPS) and is currently a member of the MAPS Board of Directors; she is also serving her third term as Secretary of the International Planetarium Society (IPS). Another planetarium teacher is an American Meteorological Society "Atmospheric Education Resource Agent."
    7. The FCPS Planetarium Program is a bright shining star in the constellation of Fairfax County Public Schools! It distinguishes the school system: most school systems don't have a single planetarium; FCPS has nine! Since 1963, the FCPS Planetarium Program has a proven track record of success--that's nearly 40 years of continuous service to the community! The FCPS Planetarium Program Web site (including the Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness) attracts national and international recognition of the academic excellence of FCPS.
    8. The nine FCPS planetarium teachers are truly a bargain, routinely providing the same services as planetariums staffed with five or six positions! Regular duties include scheduling, programming, evaluating program efficacy, provisioning, and performing routine maintenance.
    9. The investment of approximately $10 million in facilities & equipment has been made already. In reality, it actually costs relatively little to maintain the program. Other than staff salaries, modest financial outlays for annual maintenance (of the planetarium equipment) and field trip transportation are the primary expenses. Bottom line: as long as the equipment is operational, FCPS students should benefit from its use!
    10. Less is more? Not always. Sometimes, less costs more! It would actually cost a lot of money to close the nine FCPS Planetaria. In addition to the loss of its initial investment in equipment and supplies, the school system would have to incur the cost to renovate and repurpose the facilities, perhaps as much as a quarter-million dollars per facility!