Dear Moreno Valley Residents,
NASA estimates that the first person likely to set foot on Mars is currently an American middle- or high-school student.
Think about what that means: The first human to touch Mars may well be in a Moreno Valley classroom right now. Seem unlikely? It shouldn’t. After all, how many people in the little town of Wapakoneta, Ohio, back in the 1940s would ever have guessed that the first human who would eventually walk on the moon was Neil Armstrong, then a student at Wapakoneta’s Blume High School?
Armstrong’s childhood potential was no greater than anyone else’s. All children are blessed with nearly limitless potential that only needs to be encouraged and directed by the adults in their lives. As an educator, I am so fortunate to have experienced those exhilarating moments when a child finally grasps a concept or begins to master a new skill. That’s why I am such a committed supporter of our City’s many youth services. Because we each need to do whatever is in our power to positively influence a child’s life.
Maybe in 20 or 30 years, when that first explorer steps onto the surface of Mars, she or he will spare a thought for the adults in Moreno Valley who provided the encouragement and direction that released such awesome potential. And we? We will stand in amazement at the achievement of one of our own, just like the people of Wapakoneta.