When most look at the night sky, they see a dark canvas covered in twinkly dots. But when OVS math and science teacher Micah Sittig looks at it, he sees possible answers to life’s deepest questions.
Luckily, Mr. Sittig is able to share this feeling with his students by going on weekend camp trips and staging night skywatching activities. Recently, Mr. Sittig, English teacher Crystal Davis, and a few students went on a camp trip to Mt. Pinos, where Mr. Sittig was able to share his knowledge of the stars with his students.
Mr. Sittig said the group was fun to teach and to be with.
“They all had really positive attitudes,” he said. “When they got tired they didn’t complain they were tough and kept going on.”
Between hiking, cooking, and stargazing, the students and the teachers never had a dull moment.
“We went out of the camping site and went to the parking lot to see the stars,” sophomore Jenny Zhang said. “It was incredibly gorgeous.”
This camp trip is not a one hit wonder in terms of the astronomical activities Mr. Sittig has hosted. On September 27 there was a highly anticipated Blood Moon, and Mr. Sittig took advantage of this opportunity to increase his students’ knowledge on this phenomenon.
At 7:30 everyone gathered to witness this amazing occurrence. Resident students, moon cakes, and cameras were in good company at the Blood Moon activity.
For 45 minutes, students and teachers alike stood outside looking up at the sky, into the depths of the blood red moon.
Mr. Sittig does much more than participate in astronomical activities.
He is married and he and his wife, Jodi, have three daughters: Charlotte, Maryann, and Ada Jo. The family lives in Tower Dorm.
Mr. Sittig also teaches numerous courses such as Conceptual Physics, AP Physics 1 and 2, and AP Calculus.
But it is stargazing that remains one of his biggest passions.
Mr. Sittig said his interest in astronomy began when he was a young boy and his grandfather would take him out at night to look at the constellations.
“I think astronomy tries to find some answers to some really fundamental about human beings,” Mr. Sittig said. “Like where do we come from, what are we made of, our ultimate purpose you know, and some really big questions that astronomy approaches scientifically.”
Mr. Sittig said the study of the stars serves a secondary purpose. He believes that people have gotten caught up in the fast pace of modern life, and have lost the ability to watch things change over the course of years, such as astronomy.
The weekend camp trip gave the teachers and students the opportunity to unplug.
“Mr. Sittig’s excitement was palpable as we pulled into the dark sky parking lot, and it was tempered only slightly by equal parts awe and envy when we saw the caliber of equipment that was already set up,” said Ms. Davis “It was clear we were in the company of folks who take their astronomy seriously!”
Mr. Sittig said he hopes the students enjoyed the trek to Mt. Pinos as much as he did.
“The sky up there actually has texture,” he said. “It’s not just like point, point, point. It’s shades of grey almost because there’s so many stars.”