Christine Nixon principal of Warrington Middle School introduces guests on stage to the audience of students and faculty.

Christine Nixon, principal of Warrington Middle School in Pensacola, Fla., introduces guests on stage to the audience of students and faculty. The occasion is the kickoff of the NASA Explorer School (NES) program at the school. Seated on stage are (from left) Jim Paul, superintendent of Escambia County Schools; a school official; Denise Jamison, the school’s NASA Team facilitator; Les Gold, NASA aerospace specialist; Gregg Buckingham, NASA official; Jim Kennedy, director of Kennedy Space Center; Charles Baire, District representative, representing Congressman Jeff Miller; Letitia Wheeler, student at Warrington Middle School; Alan Poindexter, NASA astronaut; and Clarence Bostic, NES coordinator. Kennedy is visiting the school to share the vision for space exploration with the next generation. He is talking with students about our destiny as explorers, NASA’s stepping stone approach to exploring Earth, the moon, Mars and beyond, how space impacts our lives, and how people and machines rely on each other in space. NES establishes a three-year partnership annually between NASA and 50 NASA Explorer School teams, consisting of teachers and education administrators from diverse communities nationwide. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston