He believes that the four steps to success in school for Appalachia youth are study and work habits, behavior, attendance and attitude. He wants to reward elementary age children who are demonstrating such positive characteristics of achievement in school. Trista's name was drawn for the tuition-free gift at the yearly awards ceremony held by the school districts in 1997. She visited area schools to talk about the importance of science. Over 2,000 students from elementary to high school had an opportunity to talk with the United States astronaut in informal discussions about science.
Hope is in short supply for many Appalachian children.
Rio Grande . . .