Around the country there are numerous science centers and museums, ranging in size from small to really large. All have one thing in common. They are all designed to educate kids and adults alike about science, and inspire our young to find the excitement in science and possibly find their way into careers in science and engineering.

I have been reading a fascinating book lately, made even more pertinent by the passing this week of Columbus Day (did you notice? It was last Monday). 1492 - The Year The World Began -  by Felipe Fernandez Armesto details the myriad ways in which the world was changed by the voyage of Columbus and the European discovery of “the New World” It is a great book and one I highly recommend. Great stuff about all the changes the world experienced because of that voyage, many of which you might never have imagined. However, there is one area of change we all know a little about and that is the change wrought on the native population of North America by the arrival of Europeans.

As recent articles here have made clear, most of the school assembly performers Mobile Ed sends into schools are on tour, traveling from town to town, from state to state throughout the year. Some major metropolitan areas, however, allow us to station a performer there year round, much to the delight of schools in that area, since this opens up a whole lot more dates from which they may choose. Last week I wrote about a couple of our performers resident in the greater Chicago area. Today I wish to draw your attention to New York and New Jersey.

Next week is an important week and I bet you don’t even know it! Next week, October 16-22, is national Character Counts week. Every year, the third week in October is designated as a special week to honor and promote Character Counts. Last year, 8 million kids in 54 different nations participated in this event.

There are many, many performers in this country making their livings, or trying to make their livings, through performing school assembly programs for kids. Some are good, some are great and some are, well ... some are not so great.

I don’t know if you caught this but it took me by surprise. China recently launched a piece of a future space station into orbit. Coming as it does on the heals of the end of our Space Shuttle program it kind of rocked me back on my heels a little.

As September rolls rapidly toward its conclusion (Boy, can you believe how quickly that went by?), we find ourselves looking ahead toward the rest of the school year. Many schools have now made their plans for school assemblies, though many have not yet even begun. Just some thoughts today on strategically planning your school assemblies for maximum benefit in supporting the curriculum.

With all the hoopla and attention centering on our new Stronger Than a Bully program this Fall, we have somewhat neglected another of our new school assemblies, The Invisible Wonder (All About Air!). That certainly needs to be corrected!