Leaves of Learning

Leaves of Learning is a school, where I actually feel comfortable asking my teachers for help. 

It is a place where the teachers know your names. It is a place where the teachers themselves, shape the curriculum to how it is best for the students. The classes are very welcoming. The teachers are very polite, kind and respectful to the students. It's not like public school, where all the rooms look exactly the same. At leaves, instead of calling the rooms by their numbers, students usually call them by the names of the teachers. Each room is specifically sculpted but the teacher.

Each room expresses the teachers' personality. They are all unique and interesting.  

Here are some of my questions for the observatory

How powerful is the telescope?

How big is it?

Has the telescope ever been replaced?

If so, how many times?

Has it ever been modified?

How large is the observatory?

Has the observatory ever been used for research?

If so, how many times?

What kind of maintenance does it require?

          Many people were gathered at the ceremony.  I was very surprised at the turn out for this event.  I never thought that my grandpa had impacted so many people throughout his career time.  The whole event happened on a Tuesday evening.  My family and I left in the morning on Tuesday.  we drove for about five and a half hours.  We arrived at a restaurant called "Steve's", which is a middle eastern bistro that had become a favorite of my parents'.  It had also become a normal meeting spot for family reunions.

          After we ate at Steve's, we all got in our cars, and went to the high school.  This whole ceremony was for my grandpa.  He had been a softball coach at that high school for thirty seven years.  He was even inducted in the hall of fame, but that was not what the ceremony was about.  He was being honored, and the high school named their softball field after him.  We gathered in what looked like the cafeteria.  tables and chairs were already set up.  

          More and more people arrived at the ceremony.  I was at a table with my cousins.  When the ceremony began, a surprising amount of people were there to see it.  One of the things about it that really amazed me, was that some of his really old players, that were now far into adulthood, were there to celebrate him.  It was then that I realized how many lives that he has impacted.  Many people and softball players stood up and shared there experiences with him.  Even one of my aunts stood up to speak.

          After they gave their speeches, all the players that were present stood up and said what years they played for him.  Then, he gave a speech and talked about some of the history, and people that really inspired him.  After that, we all went outside, and saw the field.  It was titled "The William Taylor Field".  I was really moved by how he had impacted so many people, and I realized what a truly remarkable person he is.

          

Who, What, When, Where, Why and How?

Cincinnati Observatory

Who?

            The Cincinnati Observatory was founded by a man named Ormsby McKnight Mitchel.  He was a professor at Cincinnati College and had inspired an enthusiasm in the public for astronomy through his public lectures.  During this time, there were only a few small telescopes in the country, but no big power instruments existed.  Mitchel interested many people in possibly building the first observatory in the U.S.  At the end of one of his lectures, he introduced a crowd of 2000 to his plans.

What?

            The site for the observatory was a four acre lot on the top of Mt. Ida, about four hundred feet above the city of Cincinnati.  The property was given to the Astronomical Society by its owner, Nicholas Longworth. 

When?

            The whole project was founded by Mitchel in 1842.  In the same year, he traveled to Munich to inspect a twelve inch lens of the highest quality.  In 1843, the cornerstone was laid by the former president of the United States, John Adams.  He had expressed a deep interest in astronomy and had tried to convince congress to found a National Observatory in 1825 and failed.  Although he was 77, and wasn't in the best condition and health, he traveled to Cincinnati for the founding because he felt that this was a big step in the U.S being internationally recognized for its intellectual and scientific endeavors.

Where?

            Site was located on the top of Mount Ida in Cincinnati, high above the city.

Why?

            Mitchel had brought out a major interest in Astronomy.  He also had a strong interest and had undertaken supervision for the construction of the project in 1842.  At the dedication, John Adams gave his last public speech.  After that, the mountain was renamed “Mount Adams”.  By the time the foundation for the building was laid, the whole country was in economic depression.  Nearly all of the money that was raised went to the purchasing of the telescope.  The whole project was without any money for its completion.

How?

            The telescope itself cost about nine thousand dollars, which was a considerable sum back then.  When all the money was gone, and the project seemed as if it would not be completed, Mitchel volunteered to become the director of the project, and raised some additional money for its completion.  He also paid for a lot of it out of his own pocket.  He relied on his salary from the Cincinnati College.  But soon after the Observatory was completed, the college burned down and Mitchel was left without any monetary support.  In spite of this, Mitchel still served as the director of the Observatory

Source:

www.cincinnatiobservatory.org