First published in the Dec. 16 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
The California branch of the International Space Academy’s Class of 2021 graduation ceremony was recently held at La Cañada High School.
Forty students representing Flintridge Preparatory School, Flintridge Sacred Heart, St. Francis and La Cañada High School, their parents and administrators joined to celebrate the graduates.
The Space Academy program is a collaboration between NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, La Cañada Sister Cities and the local schools, where Space Academy students partner with students in La Cañada’s Sister City in Madrid, Spain, Villanueva de la Cañada.
Space Academy Founder Art Chmielewski inspired the students with stories about why he started the institution, and La Cañada Flintridge Mayor Terry Walker spoke about the Sister City exchange program and her visit to Villanueva de la Cañada and the European Space Astronomy Centre in 2019. Walker then introduced Juan Carlos Sánchez Alonso, senior Spanish ambassador and consul general to Los Angeles.
