Students told: Set goals, study hard

The students of the Providence Elementary School had the opportunity of a lifetime when they met Charles Moss Duke Jr, a retired United States Air Force Brigadier General, when he visited their school on Monday.Duke, who was an astronaut and engineer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was the tenth man to ever walk on the moon and the youngest of the 12 who visited there. His trip to the moon was aboard the Apollo 16 spaceship. Duke spoke to the children, encouraging them to do their best. “Even though you may come from a small country and your family may not have much money, nothing is impossible.”He told the students that he did believe that someone from their generation could go to the moon or to Mars. However, he advised them that even though they might not become an astronaut, “you can be a success in your life”.The retiree also urged the students to “set goals for themselves, study hard and take care of themselves”. Duke admitted that when he was younger he never thought he would become an astronaut because his main goal in life was to please his parents, as he was urged by his mother to “do your best and don’t embarrass the family”. The test pilot further expressed his hope in the young children when he explained that one never knew what could happen once one “planted the seed”.During the discussion and presentation, the students gotto see first-hand a video of Duke’s first trip to the moon, his walk across the moon as he erected the American flag, and clips of him and other members of the space crew when they were on the space shuttle.The students also took the opportunity to ask Duke questions, including one about Neil Armstrong, who was the first man to walk on the moon. (DG)