“Mom, I got a message from space!” shouted Laurie Sullivan into the phone.
Sullivan had been following astronaut Anne McClain’s 2019 flight to the International Space Station and, through social media, had asked McClain a question from her elementary school students.
“How has teamwork made us successful this week?” the class wanted to know. McClain’s answer arrived in a video message from space.
Moments like this capture the heart of her work as a Project Discovery teacher at K.W. Barrett Elementary School, in Arlington, Va., where space travel is a core topic in many of her lessons.
Helping future explorers take off
In Sullivan’s classroom, bright orange and white student-size space suits line the back wall. Signed pictures of astronauts, solar system models, NASA posters, and former students’ space projects are on display around the room.
Above her desk lies a handwritten note she reads every morning: “My purpose is to inspire students to love learning, equip them with the skills for life, and to make them feel safe with a trusted adult.”
She works toward this goal each day, aiming to ignite her students’ curiosity about science and engineering.
Quote byLaurie Sullivan, a Project Discovery elementary school teacher, in Virginia
Shooting for the moon
Project Discovery grew out of a partnership with the NASA Explorer School program, which began in 2005, bringing STEM-based mission, research, and expertise into classrooms for grades 4-9. “The goal of the NASA Explorer school was to engage and inspire future generations of explorers, scientists, and engineers,” Sullivan says.
The NASA program no longer exists, but the school is considered an Explorer School alum, allowing cooperation between NASA and Project Discovery to continue.
Project Discovery began as a co-teaching model with classroom teachers but evolved into a special class five years ago, much like art or music. Lessons include hands-on activities and projects focused on natural science, engineering, the environment, space, and many other STEM related subjects.
“STEM is important, but I believe the whole collaboration, communication, and critical thinking show the teamwork going on with NASA,” Sullivan notes.
Class projects have included everything from designing a zero-gravity indicator to planting a “moon tree”—using a seed that orbited
the moon aboard NASA’s 2022 Artemis I mission.
Sullivan attends space education trainings, NASA workshops, and conferences, where she meets people who are active in the field—including scientists who work on space missions.
These connections have allowed her to bring actual rocket scientists into her classroom and forge partnerships with organizations such as Lockheed Martin, which has provided guest speakers and “spacy” school supplies
for her students.
Full-circle moments
Since Project Discovery began, Sullivan’s students have gone on to advanced study and work in STEM fields—like former student Michaela Donovan, who is now an astronomer. Last June, Donovan co-taught a class with Sullivan.
For Sullivan, this is what it’s all about. She says, “The effort I put into my lessons, I really feel the benefit and impact on the kids.”
Who is Laurie Sullivan?
Laurie Sullivan’s 33 years at K.W. Barrett Elementary School are nothing short of inspiring. Growing up, she was deeply impacted by her mother, who was also a teacher. “She didn’t retire until she was 77!” Sullivan says.
As a teacher, Sullivan has earned recognition at the highest levels. She was named the 2004 Virginia Teacher of the Year and the 2015 Arlington Public Schools Air Force Association’s Aerospace Education Teacher of the Year. In 2024, she was a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
