Stan Strike and Scott Mecca began a project in Spring of 1996 to help students develop a greater awareness of their surroundings - an awareness that would go far beyond any textbook, video, or computer program. This project was the Cody Middle School (CMS) Observatory. Construction started in June, 1996 and the building was completed by the end of that summer. Two permanent cement piers were build in the 24'x36' observation room and one of the piers was fitted with a platform, a 3 meter dome, and insulated walls. The observation room was wired to support 10 computers and two televisions. The control room was wired to the school Local Area Network (LAN) and was equipped with it's own phone line.
Using money from grants, over $50,000 in astronomy equipment and software was purchased, including a Celestron 14" telescope, a Paramount GT-1100 computerized base, an SBIG ST-7 CCD camera, computers, and The Sky astronomy software. The telescope and base were mounted on the permanent pier beneath the dome.
Following the completion of the building construction, Pete Idema joined Stan Strike in the Fall of 1997 to help manage the facility and introduce middle school students to the wonders above! Since then, students, their families, and the community have had opportunities to view the moon, planets, stars, star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae. In 2004, Stan Strike retired from teaching 8th grade and Pete Idema has managed the facility since then. In October of 2008 Pete started the CMS Astronomy Club for middle school students, their families, as well as the community.
In the Fall of 2006 Amos Olson, Brian Reavis, and Brandon Reavis worked on many upgrades with the technology of the observatory, including the design of a webpage that was used from 2006-2016.
During the summer of 2018, the district did a complete renovation to the observatory building to repair water damage. In addition, the NE corner of the building was redesigned to accommodate a planetarium dome to be designed by students during the 2018-19 school year.
Currently, the observatory is used by 8th graders as part of the 8th grade science curriculum and on Fridays for an enrichment class. During the school year, the CMS Astronomy Club uses the facility for it's monthly meetings/open houses. The observatory and/or its equipment have also been used by individuals and special interest groups such as Boy/Girl Scouts as well as summer sessions for the Park County Library and Buffalo Bill Center of the West. The facility has had over 7,200 visitors.
Using money from grants, over $50,000 in astronomy equipment and software was purchased, including a Celestron 14" telescope, a Paramount GT-1100 computerized base, an SBIG ST-7 CCD camera, computers, and The Sky astronomy software. The telescope and base were mounted on the permanent pier beneath the dome.
Following the completion of the building construction, Pete Idema joined Stan Strike in the Fall of 1997 to help manage the facility and introduce middle school students to the wonders above! Since then, students, their families, and the community have had opportunities to view the moon, planets, stars, star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae. In 2004, Stan Strike retired from teaching 8th grade and Pete Idema has managed the facility since then. In October of 2008 Pete started the CMS Astronomy Club for middle school students, their families, as well as the community.
In the Fall of 2006 Amos Olson, Brian Reavis, and Brandon Reavis worked on many upgrades with the technology of the observatory, including the design of a webpage that was used from 2006-2016.
During the summer of 2018, the district did a complete renovation to the observatory building to repair water damage. In addition, the NE corner of the building was redesigned to accommodate a planetarium dome to be designed by students during the 2018-19 school year.
Currently, the observatory is used by 8th graders as part of the 8th grade science curriculum and on Fridays for an enrichment class. During the school year, the CMS Astronomy Club uses the facility for it's monthly meetings/open houses. The observatory and/or its equipment have also been used by individuals and special interest groups such as Boy/Girl Scouts as well as summer sessions for the Park County Library and Buffalo Bill Center of the West. The facility has had over 7,200 visitors.
