LOCAL NEWS

Out-of-this-world tree planted at Neil Armstrong Academy

Oct 25, 2024, 4:23 PM | Updated: 5:37 pm

WEST VALLEY CITY — There are all sorts of trees outside Neil Armstrong Academy in West Valley. However, the one planted Friday morning is truly out of this world.

“The seed that this tree is grown from was aboard the Artemis One spacecraft in 2022,” said John Paul Sorensen, who is the Principal of Neil Armstrong Academy.

That spacecraft went around the moon and back.

The Moon Tree took a trip in space before Neil Armstrong Academy got it from NASA in this photo on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (KSL TV)

Several seeds that are part of NASA’s Moon Tree program were on that mission. NASA germinated those seeds, and schools and organizations across the country applied to get one of the saplings.

“I was hopeful, but I had a healthy dose of reality. I really thought it was a pretty small chance,” said David Pendleton, who teaches 4th grade at the school and filed the paperwork to try and get one.

Pendelton said he always teaches his students to shoot for the stars in everything they do. So when he found out his application was accepted, one of about 50 from nearly 1600 applications, it showed the students the value in trying something that seems almost impossible.

“We want to try to inspire our students to reach for those lofty goals they have, to shoot for those dreams that they have,” Pendleton said.

Students will help care for the tree by checking soil conditions and taking measurements.

It’s part of the STEM focus this school has.

But having a Moon Tree at a school named after the first man on the moon — students think that is pretty neat.

Neil Armstrong Academy seen on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024 in West Valley City. (KSL TV)

“I thought, whoa, this is amazing,” said 4th grader Jess Watkins.

“It is really cool,” said Eliza Wilson, also in 4th grade. “It’s just an amazing experience for me to watch it get planted and to see this all happen.”

Maybe these students will bring their kids to see it decades from now, proud to say they were there on the day it was planted.

“This will be something they remember their whole lives,” Sorensen said. “We are happy to have the tree here.”

KSL 5 TV Live

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Out-of-this-world tree planted at Neil Armstrong Academy