CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 37 "is planetarium puts us in a league of our own. Honestly, it allows us to reach not only the minds and heights of the galaxy; we're excited to elevate this class more and can't wait to see new faces in here and show them the world." Students are the stars At the center of this universe are Kabbes and his students. At a master control unit that would make "Star Trek " navigator Sulu proud, Kabbes pushes buttons that project different views of the universe, such as how the Earth would look from the dark side of Jupiter or a panoramic view of the constellations. "We probably have well over a hundred assets (like pictures of videos) that were either provided to us by the vendor or we were able to put together," says Kabbes, who earned his master's degree in astronomy from James Cook University in Australia in 2008. He tries to get students involved in the process, something he began at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, near Chicago, where he managed the Karl G. Heinze Observatory for about 10 years before coming to FSU. "We were the only observatory in the country that was run primarily by middle and high school students," Kabbes says. "I'm working to get that started up here. I have a couple of students that I am training on how to run the planetarium, and last Saturday's program was mostly run by one of the high school students. So, I was up here talking, and she was clicking the buttons in the back to make it happen." e students — not just those at Fayetteville State but also elementary, middle school and high school students — are enthralled by the planetarium's shows. "When we get school groups here, kids are just so excited," says Kabbes. "We get a lot of feedback from teachers. (One) teacher said all (the students) talked about the entire bus ride was all the cool things we did. "We don't just do the show; we take them out and we have them build little stop rockets and launch them, and they learn a little bit about rockets. We just do all sorts of different little simple things, but they seem to really resonate with kids. ey learn some stuff, and they have fun. Hopefully, they don't even know they're learning stuff." Kabbes says FSU charges $150 for school 17552 Save on a Rainy Day And More Tips to Lower Your Bills this Summer • Make sure you turn outside faucets all the way off after watering outdoors. • Install a rain sensor on your sprinkler system to keep it from turning on when it's raining. • Check your backflow/sprinkler system for leaks before turning it on for the season. • Conserve all the power you can during summer Time-of-Use Peak Hours – 3PM to 7PM weekdays, April-October. • Set your A/C at 78º during the summer months. • Be sure to follow the manufacturer's recom- mendations for maintaining your A/C system. • Use the interactive Energy Resource Center on our website to take charge of your savings. Visit PWC's website for lots more ways to save water and power. Splash Pads open May 1 Pools open May 29 Lifeguard Cerrficaron Courses Swim Leagues & Swim Camps www.FCPR.us | (910) 433-1547

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