Reporter For a Day
By Grace Gallagher
Grade 8, CMS
“I always have adults asking me, ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ I’ve had a few ideas, but I can’t stick with just one for very long. On March 10, 2015, I was selected to take photos of Caribou Middle School Skypeing with Dr. Jessica Meir, a Caribou-native astronaut. During the Skype call, I had to think of questions to ask students after the call. Writing and photography have always been a passion of mine and getting the chance to be a reporter for a day, I really do think I would love to be a reporter in the future.”
Livia Bouchard
Grade six
Do you think you should pay more attention in classes now?
“Yes, because knowing that she made it big and she got to do this space thing and now I need to pay attention more so I can do something big.”
Devon Ouellette
Grade six
If you were an astronaut, would you be more afraid of air sickness or Martians?
“Air sickness, because typically in space there’s no gravity and it would just get me really worried.”
Hannah Tarbox
Grade six
What did you think of Dr. Meir’s stories about her adventures?
“I thought it was cool how she grew up in such a small town like us and she pursued her life dream, so we can all do what she’s doing because we look up to her kinda.”
Alex Dumond
Grade six
If you were Dr. Meir, which object in space would you like to land on and why?
“I guess Mars because no human has actually ever been on there.”
Jacob Berkoski
Grade seven
How would you feel if someone told you that you were going to be an astronaut?
“Excited and I wouldn’t have any words … I don’t know. I’d be like so excited that I just couldn’t think if I were to get selected for that I’d been working so hard for. It would be awesome.”
Taylor Paddleford
Grade seven
Was the Skype call with Dr. Meir inspiring to you?
“It really was, She’s worked so hard for something and she’s finally getting it.”
Devin White
Grade seven
If you were Dr. Meir, which object in space would you like to land on and why?
“I would like to land on Mars because no one has landed on it before. It would be pretty cool to be the first person on Mars.”
Victoria Leavitt
Grade seven
How would you feel if someone told you that you were going to be an astronaut?
“I would be really ecstatic because I worked toward something all my life and took classes toward it and finally reached my goal, so I would be excited.”
Shelby Barnes
Grade seven
Do you think you should pay more attention in classes now?
“Um, maybe. I usually pay a lot of attention because you never know what could be coming up. There could be a test. I don’t know, like Jessica, she said that she paid a lot of attention and now, she’s reached her goal.”
Xavier York
Grade eight
What did you think of Dr. Meir’s stories about her adventures?
“I feel that they were well rounded. They were constantly driving toward similar goals.”
Austin Findlen
Grade eight
Was the Skype call with Dr. Meir inspiring to you?
“Yeah. I thought it was pretty cool that she came from a small town like where we live and became so big like an astronaut.”
Hailey Holmquist
Grade eight
If you were an astronaut, would you be more afraid of air sickness or Martians?
“Probably Martians — no, not Martians but air sickness because when I was little I always used to get car sick.”
Reporter For a Day
Cody Martin
Grade 6, CMS
“Dr. Jessica Meir is interested in and studies biology. She went back to school and moved to San Diego. She has seven NASA classmates. She found a career as a physiologist. She enjoys math and science. You have to have a bachelor’s degree to become an astronaut. She’s wanted to be an astronaut since she was five. She’s very active in sports. The most difficult thing about being an astronaut is operating a space suit. She likes flying.”
Aila Theriault
7th grade
“I asked Jessica Meir, ‘What were her plans for after her space mission.’ It’s cool to meet someone who has made many accomplishments.”
Bennet Truncale
6th grade
“It was a big opportunity. I like Pluto and I’d like to travel to Jupiter or Saturn.”
Logan Longley
6th grade
“It was cool to get to Skype with her. I like Jupiter.”
Logan Greene
7th grade
“I learned she wanted to be an astronaut since she was 5-years-old. My favorite planet is Uranus.”
Heather Demerchant
7th grade
“Listening to Dr. Meir was unique. I like Earth and if I could, I’d go to Mars.”
Lucas Tompkins
6th grade
“It was really fun. I like Pluto and I’d visit Mars.”
Ethan Holmquist
7th grade
“It was amazing to see someone from Caribou become an astronaut. I like Mars and I’d visit Neptune.”
Ron Guerrette
6th grade
“I thought it was interesting. I like to visit Mars.”
Zach Gagnon
6th grade
“It was pretty cool. I like Earth and I’d visit Mars.”
Brianna Reece
8th grade
“It was quite inspiring that someone from out town is an astronaut. I like Neptune and would visit Saturn.”
Emma Collins
8th grade
“It was a life inspiring moment. I like Neptune and would like to visit Jupiter.”
Cora Crandall
8th grade
“It was nice to know all the information that she told us. I like Earth and would like to visit Jupiter.”
