CUMBERLAND, Maine — For 26 years, the first Friday in May has been "Space Day Maine."
It's a day meant to educate and inspire young students to dream big.
Greely Middle School hosted this year's space day, filled with games—like building paper rockets and launching them by squeezing the air out of two-liter bottles—and classes, including one hosted by Brian Ewenson, who trained astronauts.
Portland-area high schoolers who built a state-champion robot also demonstrated the extreme machine's capabilities.
For Sharon Eggleston, who helped start this annual event, it's about showing kids the path to whatever big dreams they might have.
"How do you become an astronaut? How do you work for NASA, or any of those things? How do you become a pilot? They don't know that pathway," Eggleston posed, an event founder who said she gave her first presentation in front of 15 kindergarteners in her hometown of Brunswick. "So, here, we have a lot of specialists, a lot of experts, and they are sharing their passion and they're sharing how they got to where they are today."
This could actually be called "Space Week," as Eggleston and some of her presenters visited 10 different locations that week, including Greely.
Sam, a fourth grader, looked on as the noisy bot whisked around a classroom.
"I want to be an engineer when I grow up," Sam said. "And I already build robots at my house."
Seventh grader Maddie already has lofty goals.
"I, for quite a while, wanted to be an aerospace engineer," she smiled. "And, honestly, I still think that would be really fun."
And what inspired this specific and exemplary aspiration? Her mother, Jacey Morrill, is Greely's eighth-grade science teacher.
"I really like to, kind of, let her try things out and play with things," Morrill said. "She likes to take things apart and put them back together, and I love bringing that into whatever we're doing. But she's a fabulous kid."
All of the technology, games, and expertise brought to this school to inspire.
But sometimes, all it takes is a really good mom.