Spaceman has kids reaching for stars

Kamogelo Molebatsi in Grade 8 at the Forte High School in Dobsonville, Soweto waves at the Russian Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka who is currently orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station. The school pupils tuned into a recorded radio broadcast and video of the Cosmonaut who explained how he achieved his dream of travelling in space. 170415. Picture: Chris Collingridge 280

Kamogelo Molebatsi in Grade 8 at the Forte High School in Dobsonville, Soweto waves at the Russian Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka who is currently orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station. The school pupils tuned into a recorded radio broadcast and video of the Cosmonaut who explained how he achieved his dream of travelling in space. 170415. Picture: Chris Collingridge 280

Published Apr 17, 2015

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Johannesburg – An intergalactic message straight from the International Space Station (ISS) delivered to pupils at Forte High School in Dobsonville, Soweto, this morning had the youngsters star-struck and inspired to reach beyond the constellation.

This was the initiative of Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka whose heartfelt message reached the pupils all the way from space as the ISS orbited over Africa.

In a recorded message that was delivered to pupils about 10 minutes after he orbited over South Africa, Padalka encouraged the youngsters to work hard and achieve their goals no matter what circumstances they found themselves in.

He told the pupils he was “an ordinary boy from Russia” who dreamt of going to space.

Despite many obstacles, he told the children he worked hard and achieved his goals of “floating with the stars”.

“Sometimes it was tough, but I would look at the night sky with excitement and remember my dream,” said Padalka.

He urged the pupils to “reach for the stars”.

“No matter who you are, if you set your mind to it, no one can stop you,” he said.

About 60 Grade 8 pupils in one of the classrooms where the message was screened on an overhead projector smiled and clapped in unison upon hearing the deeply felt message.

Their youthful faces lit up as soon as they saw the image of the gravity-free cosmonaut, about 400km away from Earth.

One of the pupils, Kamogelo Molebatsi, was near tears.

She said Padalka’s words of encouragement would help her work towards her dream of becoming a doctor.

This world-first initiative by One School at a Time was part of the Reach for the Stars Campaign, which seeks to inspire young people who live in poor conditions and encourage them to commit to their education.

Apart from upgrading Forte’s basic facilities such as toilets, the library and sports and recreational facilities, One School at a Time has also embarked on a series of motivational initiatives that have resulted in growth in the school’s matric pass rate from 52 percent in 2008 to 93 percent last year.

The school’s principal, Leonard Mudavhi, said many of the school’s 1 880 pupils come from child-headed households or had parents who had little or no education.

He was ecstatic at the initiative and said pupils needed such sources of inspiration.

“The message was clear, anyone can achieve anything no matter who they are or where they come from.”

In an effort to curb some of the social problems the pupils face, the school works with the local police to deal with criminal activities.

They also work with the local clinic so that pupils needing medical attention receive preference.

The school itself runs a feeding scheme to offer pupils breakfast and lunch if needed.

The Star

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