Local Teacher Honored With Prestigious National Award
Valley Christian’s Pam Leestma
Pam Leestma has experienced one unforgettable year. Leestma first accomplished her lifelong dream of participating in a live NASA downlink chat with an astronaut in May. And now Leestma, a second-grade instructor at Valley Christian Elementary School, has been honored by the United States Department of Education with the National Award of American Stars of Teaching.
Leestma is one of just five private school teachers from across the country to receive the award. She will be recognized at the National Private Schools Conference in Washington D.C. on September 26th, where she will serve on a panel with the other four winning teachers to discuss collaborative relationships outside of the school setting.
Leestma says her collaborative efforts in organizing the NASA downlink played a major role in her receiving the award. The downlink, which took place at Bellflower's Bristol Auditorium on May 12th, was NASA's first-ever coast-to-coast downlink. A group of second- and sixth-graders from both Valley Christian and the One Stop Richmond Hill Community Center in New York dialed into the International Space Station and spoke live with astronaut Garrett Reisman.
"The downlink was a dream come true. To bring space to the kids was phenomenal," Leestma said. "But I was just in shock [when I learned I was receiving the American Stars of Teaching Award]. I really don't think there's a higher honor I could receive from my country."
"This really brings attention to my school and space education," she added. "And if this helps bring attention to that and to my kids, it's just wonderful. I feel like it's a true validation to do what I do."
Leestma has been teaching for 33 years, including the last 28 at Valley Christian. Space is her passion and she incorporates it into everyday lesson plans. She has served as a part-time flight director at the Challenger Learning Center in Carson, as well as a board member of the Orange County Space Society.
