Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

Cheers, silence

NZPA-Reuter Concord, New Hampshire One minute the pupils were cheering her on into space — the next minute there was sudden silence. Then the horror sank in and the tears and sobs came for Christa McAuliffe.

Teachers and pupils at Concord High School were assembled round television sets, the students wearing party hats and blowing party noisemakers.

Mrs McAuliffe had planned to give two lessons while in orbit. She called it the ultimate field trip.

When Challenger exploded after lift-off everyone fell silent. Then, crying and sobbing, the 1400 pupils and 110 teachers went back to the classrooms before being dismissed for the day.

A school board member, Joan Longeran, said she walked into the auditorium where teachers were meeting after the pupils had left. “Everyone was in tears, all the crepe paper was lying on the floor and I was just overcome,” she said.

All classes at Concord High have been cancelled for today. Ms Longeran said the action had been taken more for the teachers than for the pupils. “You can’t teach like this, they just can’t,” she said.

Silence and shock were the main reactions among the rest of Concord’s 30,000 citizens. In the window of Gibson’s Bookstore, a picture of a smiling Mrs McAuliffe in her astronaut outfit hung above her favourite slogan: “Reach focrthe stars.”

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19860130.2.19.6

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Press, 30 January 1986, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
221

Cheers, silence Press, 30 January 1986, Page 4

Cheers, silence Press, 30 January 1986, Page 4

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert