Good afternoon Everyone from downtown Concord, New Hampshire, home of America's first teacher in space.

Gentlemen.

You couldn't have asked for a better day for a parade.

Well, I'm sure the fact that Christa McAuliffe is, in the parade has to bring out a few more people.

But looked at her with the thumbs up.

That is.

She is getting a nice round of applause from a big crowd here.

We're going to take this time out here as we watch America's first teacher astronaut passed by the channel 12 cameras, Everyone was just beaming with pride, like, hey, someone from Concord was chosen.

Like, this never happens to Concord, New Hampshire.

The excitement in this city was so vibrant.

People were so proud of her because we realized how much she what she accomplished, what she had to go through.

And the winner, the teacher who will be going into space, Christa McAuliffe.

Is that you?

Christa teaches in Concord High School in Concord, New Hampshire.

Her pride became our pride who would know that this social studies teacher from a small capital city in New England who grew up in Framingham, living in Concord would be this national hero.

This is Christa.

You say Christa in New Hampshire, everyone knows exactly who you're talking about.

Well, Christa McAuliffe was selected out of over 11,000 people to become NASA's first teacher in space.

And that's because she had this incredible quality of enthusiasm and loving to learn, Gorgeous!

You just want to bring it all back into the classroom for the kids And of all the people that applied and all the interviews and all the training and all the testing.

It was Christa McAuliffe, the Concord High School teacher, that got selected.

You know, all you have to do is look at a picture of Christa and you can tell why she got picked.

She just loved her job.

She loved being a teacher and she was just an infectious person.

She was the perfect person for the job.

I am so excited to be here.

I thought it was an emotional experience when I was picked.

That was nothing compared to this time.

Just super.

I am so excited.

I am delighted to be representative of the teaching profession, but it wouldn't be anything unless the adults out there recognized that education was important and supported their schools, unless the teachers out there truly believed in what they were doing.

And unless you kids out there do the best you can and get the best education you can, that's what it's all about.

She was first and foremost a teacher.

And she said, this is a teachable moment for my classroom.

I want them to share what I'm going through and and how it doesn't just impact me, but it's also going to impact them as they go forward.

There are great teachers, but great teachers are great because they teach.

Great teachers are great because they inspire.

And that's exactly what what she did.

And this year is a real special year for you because it's your last year in high school, but it's your beginning for what you're going to be doing in life, and you're going to be looking at all sorts of career opportunities, gonna be looking at colleges, and you're going to say, what am I going to do?

What do I want to do?

Reach for it.

You know, go push yourself as far as you can.

Because if I can get this far, you know, you can do it too.

And I really hope you have a wonderful year.

And I'm going to miss all of you.

Thanks a lot.

And that was one of the things she said.

When asked about what she loved about teaching.

She said, I touch the future.

I teach.

She taught not only history, and economics, and, but she also taught that ordinary people could have a real impact on our history.

This idea that ordinary person from my town could do this extraordinary thing was incredibly inspirational.

Not only as a woman, but as a person, an ordinary person who feels that I live history every day.

I really feel important that a teacher is able to look at things so much differently.

Be able to kind of demystify the space age and take all the acronyms that the astronauts use and that the government uses, and put them into simple words so that they can really describe what happens, not looking at it from a technological point of view, but as a person who was taking this pioneering trip for the first time.

You know, she talked at the time that she wanted to, take on the role of the pioneer women that went west.

But now, as they say, it's a new frontier space.

And she wanted to honor the past, but she also wanted to bring something of the future And I think she did that so while she was here, she created a course called American Women's History.

And it's ironic that we're sitting here having this conversation about her, when her goal was to have teenagers see the role that ordinary people could play in history.

She wanted to make sure that ordinary people, particularly women, their contributions, were recognized and seen as important because they were important.

And so now she's sort of like a piece of that record she wanted people to enjoy history, not just open a book and read it and regurgitate it.

She want people to learn it and like it and live it My project deals with social history.

As a historian teaching social studies I’ve been very concerned that the social history the history of the ordinary people is not in history text books.

We hear about military, and political and economic history and we don’t find out what the ordinary person was doing.

Like a woman on the Conestoga wagon pioneering the west I too would be able to bring back my thoughts and my journey to make that a part of our history.

She was an educator who understood the power of being an educator, that she was inspiring the next generation.

And she is also an inspiration to other people to go into the teaching profession.

I think sometimes students look at teachers and kind of, well, you know, that's not an important job.

And it is, if we didn't have an educated electorate, would really be having some problems.

The message that she portrayed was, you know, you can you can do anything.

And she would say, reach for the stars all the time.

And I touch the future.

I teach I think it wasn't only for, you know, children in general, but I think she, she did wonders for women too.

Girls.

That you can do this too.

I mean, it's not lost on us that we have a bunch of old, hundreds of year old men, on the front of the statehouse lawn.

The fact that it's it's 2024 and there hasn't been a new statue added to the statehouse plaza since 1910, I believe it was when Franklin Pierce went up.

It's certainly past time I believe it was late one afternoon, the Governor came in and he said, hey, I want to put this on your radar.

I really think that we should think about putting a statue of Christa on the statehouse grounds.

I was overjoyed.

I said, let's do it.

Let's let's let's get it done.

Then we had to think about the things that it was going to take to do that.

And and one of the conversations we had was that it should be done by a commission, So we were created to establish a lasting legacy for Christa McAuliffe and put the first statue of her and of any female on the front of the statehouse lawn.

I think everybody basically just kind of figured out it was the right thing to do.

And it wasn't just about, Christa.

Her being the first woman that would be a statue but But who she was and and what she exemplified.

I'm obviously biased, being the chairman of this commission, but I think it's one of the most important monuments that can that can be put up.

In recent years and right now, you know, in front of the statehouse, the statues are all very, very old.

And so this one is extremely important.

The sculptor who most embodied what we were looking for And unanimously our favorite is Ben Victor, in Idaho, who showed her smile, showed her movement forward, showed her connecting with people It says a lot about our values as a society as to who we memorialize.

I guess the biggest thing I try to do is listen.

I don't go into it as an artist thinking, I know, But it has to be a collaboration so that the people that knew her best can impart to me what they would like to see.

It was very important to the commission that we balanced a few things that there was the reverence there.

This is, something that was going to be on the statehouse lawn.

For many people, for generations to come visit.

So we wanted that reverence.

And then we also wanted it to be accessible.

It's easy to have a sculpture of her just looking to the stars, but that's not who she was or why she was selected or what she planned to do after her flight.

She was so engaging that we can't have a static sculpture with no detail to it.

That's not engaging at all.

It wouldn't represent who she is.

You know, I think having Ben being selected as the artist is going to separate this, because he's just so talented and I think he's going to be able to bring her to life We are so privileged to have this particular artist contribute to our history.

He really sang to the hearts of of what this meant to him.

It wasn't just a job.

Was really about honoring Christa And part of that is because his mother was a teacher about the same era as Christa McAuliffe.

And, so his family felt very personally touched by Christa.

So that, I think, helped in his being able to see what we were looking for as a commission.

My grandmother was an art professor, And she always said that to be an artist, you have to have a great deal of empathy.

And that's what I did with Christa, And that's what I try to do in the whole sculpting process was remember her, empathize with her and her children and the people here, And it's weird because even at a young age, as a little kid, I remember thinking about her kids I mean, this is from my childhood.

This is an impactful moment in my life And that's where the inspiration has to come from, having that firsthand experience with my mother being a teacher, my grandmother being a teacher, So it's like, you know, there's this tie in with the the empathy and inspiration are one on this project.

15 minutes after I create a sculpture nobody cares who I am, you know what I mean?

Like nobody cares who did the sculpture.

So the art has to speak on its own.

You know, the piece has to be right.

Just everybody in the community, you feel like they're all family, like you're you're doing a sculpture of their family member.

So that's something special.

So I really hope in my heart that it's well received.

But I know I did my best no matter what, you know, I know I did.

I hope that the general population someday recognizes the talent that we're placing on the statehouse lawn.

I mean, there's no one that has three in the Capitol rotunda.

Especially someone as prolific and young as Benjamin Victor.

And it's so fascinating, to think that the work from his hands will live on, on our state house lawn for centuries, they say that the greatest joy in life is when you can be part of something bigger than you.

And that's what I feel like in this project, is that it's something larger than I am, and something that I can really pour myself into and take a great joy from and and just step back and and feel really good that I'm part of something worthy, a legacy that's worthy of continuing on.

(Student choir singing) (Student choir singing) (Student choir singing) (Student choir singing) (Student choir singing) (Student choir singing) (Student choir singing) (Student choir singing) Welcome to such a historic day for the state of New Hampshire We are here today on what would have been Christa's 76th birthday.

Christa would want me to stress on her behalf to insist sternly.

In fact, that this statue must be seen and appreciated, as she hoped to be seen and appreciated as a classroom teacher, representing her profession as a stand in for all teachers and all educators.

It is a great honor for Christa and at the same time, inseparably.

It is a great and deserving honor for the teachers and educators across this country.

Ready?

3, 2, 1, let it rip..

I hope teachers everywhere will come and see it, I hope they will take pride in their noble work.

I hope students will come and see it.

And I hope they will be inspired to pursue their dreams.

As far as their talent and effort will allow.

Do you see it?

Is that pretty Awesome?

Yes.

I'm excited.

That is incredible.

4th grade.

Somebody noticed that there’s a nice inscription So what does that say?

Everybody.

I touch the future.

I teach.

Does that sound like a perfect quote for a teacher in space?

Yes.

Yes.

You know, every fourth grader in New Hampshire gets to come to the statehouse.

It's a such a huge tradition of ours.

Because New Hampshire has a very deep history of civic engagement.

And it really does start with those fourth graders.

They spend the whole year learning about New Hampshire history.

They learn about New Hampshire government.

And so they're all going to get to walk by Christa, and that's going to be their first experience with the state House lawn with a teacher.

And, you know, a woman who was such an important part of our history and what a cool story for them to hear.

And I feel like they're going to be able to, be a part of and hopefully feel a part of that important part of our history.

But she brought great pride and joy to our state.

And the fact that this legacy is going to be something primarily for younger people to look at and take something away from what they are seeing.

This isn't just granite and copper and bronze, and this is a living person who's legacy is still living on and still inspiring others to go on to higher, glory and satisfaction and service to mankind.

Challenger, go at throttle up.

Roger going to throttle up.

Go head.

Reports vehicle exploded.

Copy.

Okay, everybody, stay off the telephones.

Make sure you maintain all your data.

Start pulling it together.

Final flight.

Go ahead Sir.

We all want to be remembered for who we were, what we cared about, what we loved, what we did.

And not how we died.

I don't think anybody wants to be thought of at their moment of passing, but more the life that they lived and, why they mattered.

And I think Christa McAuliffe would feel the same way.

That's what we want to do.

We want to inspire people with her life, not talk about her ending.

All right.

Welcome.

Has anyone ever heard of Christa McAuliffe?

Was a teacher.

She was a teacher.

And she was a teacher right here in Concord.

She taught at Concord High School and taught social studies.

She absolutely loved teaching.

And while she was a teacher, she really appreciated the different experiences that her students could have outside of the classroom and inside the classroom.

And one of the experiences she loved outside the classroom was bringing kids on field trips, just like we are here today on field trips Working with kids is one of my favorite parts of working here, especially hearing those wow moments and those experiences that they have.

Whoa!

We heard so much about Christa and her impact She was energetic.

She was so full of life and just so excited to teach a new generation of kids, about science, which wasn't even her main topic that she taught.

So, which part of the Constituti talks about search and seizure?

Fourth amendment.

Excellent.

And who's heard the term probable cause?

If I had a dollar for every time I've said no.

She was a social studies teacher, I could probably retire.

Yes.

That's definitely a misconception.

She did not teach science, although the lessons she planned to deliver from space were very scientific.

She was a social studies teacher.

She she was, a teacher well before her time, I think, she started a a class called herstory instead of history, which was a women's history class, and that was created before many schools had a women's history class.

The social studies department here, it's really important for us to maintain the integrity of that course and to make sure it still runs.

And it's a popular course.

It runs every year.

So we're very proud of the fact that she was a social studies teacher.

I teach in a classroom where she once taught, and I often remind myself, you know, that there is a lot of responsibility there.

To make sure that that what she brought to Concord High School is still remembered.

It's still talked about.

I brought today, actually a poster that was gifted to me a long time ago, and it's actually signed by the artist.

And it's got a picture of Christa, obviously.

And this likely was this space.

When she taught here, these were social studies rooms, so she would have taught in this room.

When she was teaching here.

You know, she was just a teacher, and and then she went on to do these amazing things.

And, the lessons that she had intended to teach from space are now all accessible online.

And so in some ways, she's still teaching, There’s 2.5 million teachers in the United States.

When you think of the daily contact.

The impact we have.

Across the board, if you get teachers excited about something, is just phenomenal.

But she did one thing that most don't get the opportunity to do.

She left a big legacy and had a huge impact.

So that is the silver lining that we can look at.

This.

This is all about her life and her legacy and that concept of inspiring that next generation of kids and getting them to believe and understand that it really is true that, anything can happen tomorrow.

Right?

And if you want something, if you have an idea for something, if there's some way that you want to change the world, that these kids really have the opportunity to pursue that and make a difference Her personality was very kind and always happy.

She always told her kids to, like, never give up and to always, like, look for the bright side.

When I think of her, I think of, like, loving and kind and inspiring.

We created it an educational arts contest.

We've engaged students from across New Hampshire because that does inspire.

It inspires for a whole other reason.

It takes her life, which is inspirational in and of itself, and it gives our kids, who are our future, the ability to participate by a doing some research.

Finding out about her, but also participating She always says, reached for the stars and believed herself I bet a lot of students benefited from her.

I bet they believed in theirselves because she believed in them as well.

Whenever I'm scared, I try to think of, okay, Christa McAuliffe was brave.

So if she can do it, I can do it.

The individual may not be with us, but the spirit is still here.

So I do hope it will give people pause to really consider, you know, why is this female educator here amongst, you know, all these male statesmen and and what made her important enough that she has this commemoration of her here?

Because she was important and is important to the city of Concord and the world.

It will be meaningful to me at the end of my life, if I can look back and say, there was a fourth grader that wrote a poem about Christa McAuliffe, and that person at the end of their life told their grandchildren that, hey, I was here at the statue when it was when it was unveiled 60 years ago.

Oh, great.

Christa McAuliffe, who went into space, sadly left us with barely a trace.

Our school is named in her honor.

And now we reflect upon her, her bravery, her legacy, her grace.

Thank you, Christa McAuliffe, for all you have done.

You brought us smiles, pride and fun.

The world was heartbroken when you perished, but now your life will forever be cherished.

Major funding for the production of Christa is provided by New Hampshire Humanities, and was produced in partnership with New Hampshire PBS, Idaho Public Television, and the McAuliffe Shepard Discovery Center.

330 in the morning.

The phone rang and my husband answered the phone and I figured it was just a crank call.

And he answers the phone and he came upstairs and he said, it's NASA.

I think you made the ten.

As I was coming downstairs, I was thinking, if this is a joke, I am never going to forgive him.

And I was told at that point, don't tell anyone I had errands to run.

I had a few hours in Concord on Saturday, so I went downtown.

I bumped into people I wanted to jump up and down and say I made it, I made it, and I had to say, we'll know by Monday.

I'll get in touch with you and just leave it at that.

Pretty good acting job.

That was hard.

Hopefully more and more people will get excited.

More and more professions will get excited about not only the space age, but the future.

And it can't help but bring everybody, maybe, to see the world as a place where we all have to help one another and we all need to be concerned about the environment because as you get farther away from it, you can see how maybe vulnerable we are and we really are interdependent.

To learn more and watch additional video, go to nhpbs.org/christa