An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Berkeley Middle School, Williamsburg, VA on 08 Jan. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 18:33 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and K4RC. The contact should be audible over the eastern portion of the U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.

City County (Virginia), and it is one of three middle schools. There are thirty-six core teachers, sixteen elective teachers, a gifted and talented teacher, reading specialist, math specialist, and ten special education teachers. Additionally, there are three administrators, two school counselors, a Student Advancement Coach, and media specialist along with support staff. The student to teacher ratio is 28:1.

Uniquely, the school is one of two located in the City of Williamsburg, serving students in the city and county. Over the past few years, enrollment has steadily increased, which is a direct reflection of the growth within the community. At the end of September 2013, the enrollment was 913 with an even distribution among its three grade levels (6-8). Berkeley's student population is approximately 60 percent white, 30 percent black, and 10 percent identify as other ethnicities such as American Indian, Asian, Hispanic, etc. Nearly 30 percent of the student population receives special education services, close to 20 percent are identified as gifted and talented, and less than 5 percent identify as English Language Learners (ELL). At Berkeley, 41 percent of the students qualify for federal free or reduced lunch.

In partnership with parents and community members, Berkeley strives to foster a safe, caring and supportive learning environment that: a) knows its population, b) maintains a culture of continuous improvement, c) maximizes learning time, and d) remains focused and determined to close the achievement gap.

Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows:

1. Do you like being an astronaut?

2. Explain why teamwork is important to your job.

3. What is the most exciting experiment you have conducted or discovery you

have made so far?

4. What are your future career plans once you return?

5. What was your greatest challenge during your journey to becoming an

astronaut?

6. What is the most important skill you need to be successful at your job

and why?

7. What do you do when you get bored?

8. Have you had any strange things happen because you forgot there wasn't

any gravity?

9. Do you work more hours in space than on Earth?

10. Was there anything that scared you about traveling to space or being in

space?

PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES:

Sign up for the SAREX maillist at

http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/sarex

Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the

International Space Station (ARISS).

To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status

Next planned event(s):

TBD

ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the participating space agencies, NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA, with the AMSAT and IARU organizations from participating countries.

ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers on-board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology, and learning. Further information on the ARISS program is available on the website http://www.ariss.org/ (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada).

Thank you & 73,

David - AA4KN

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