PRIEST RIVER — “3... 2... 1... blast off!” and the roars of cheering were all that could be heard from Priest River Elementary as model rockets graced the pristine blue sky during the school’s annual Aeronautics Day event. 

For the 34th year, fifth-grade teacher Chris Naccarato put on the event, which invites the students to dream and become engrossed in space, as Naccarato once was. Despite the long-running event, Naccarato hasn’t lost a shred of enthusiasm, still bringing energy during his presentation and rocket launches. 

“I still get that same excited feeling as the first time,” Naccarato said. “I guess you would call it, childlike enthusiasm, and it's still there, like watching the Apollo missions and astronauts and stuff. That's what drives me.” 

As a part of the annual event, Naccarato has made it a tradition to bring in astronauts from NASA. Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, a former high school science teacher who flew to the International Space Station in 2010, made a returning appearance on Thursday to speak to the students. 

Naccarato said Metcalf-Lindenburger's visit marks the 55th astronaut appearance in the history of Aeronautics Day. He added that astronauts from every NASA mission, except the most recent Artemis, have visited Priest River Elementary. 

“When I first started, I remember very well that the astronaut offices that help facilitate the events. And she said to me, ‘A school is lucky if they get one astronaut visit,’” Naccarato said. “So, it's that rare to have even just one, and yesterday was number 55.” 

During Metcalf-Lindenburger's presentation, she walked the students through her journey to becoming an astronaut and encouraged them to put their dreams into action, even at a young age. Metcalf-Lindenburger helped students launch a model of the Discovery space shuttle, the same one she flew to the ISS on her mission. 

John Phillips, who flew into space three times between 2001 and 2009 and resides in Sandpoint, was also in attendance. While Phillips and Metcalf-Lindenburger pressed the launch button, Naccarato’s team of students, or NACA, was involved in every step of the way. 

Whether it be setting up the launch pad or retrieving the rockets post-launch, the uniformed students put the skills they’d learned for the last year to good use. Thanks to the program’s longevity, Naccarato said students are bought in from day one after seeing the rocket launches since kindergarten. 

“Watching them and what they do is so pride-filled for me, because we build a bond that's a lot stronger than just a normal teacher-student relationship,” Naccarato said. “Whenever I see former students, even some students I've run into from the very beginning, 34 years ago, the number one thing that kids say to me is ‘I still have all my stuff, my shirt, my hat.’  

Naccarato said it’s exciting to hear that former students keep their NACA apparel because it made an impact on them. Students from this year’s event will surely be keeping their hats and badges after Metcalf-Lindenburger took time to sign at least one item for every student. 

For all his efforts over the last three decades, Naccarato was awarded the Paul Harris Fellow award by District Governor of Rotary International's District 5080, David Keyes. Keyes said the fellowship is the most prestigious award a non-Rotarian can earn, with the last time anyone in the region earned the fellowship being Forrest Bird. 

Keyes said he gave Naccarato the award for the event and his work inspiring local students. Naccarato said he hopes Aeronautics Day ignites a dream in students across the school  

“I don't know if it will be one of my students that gets inspired to do something about this, or just somebody sitting in the audience,” Naccarato said. "That inspiration could happen in either sense, not just if you're on the team, but somebody in the grandstands watching it and saying, ‘I want to do that.’” 

    NACA participants stood in a line and shook hands with Astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger following the rocket launch event.
  

    Priest River teacher Chris Naccarato celebrates with one of his students after a successful landing exercise.
  

    NACA students transfer an "engine" from a rocket to their engine team at Priest River Elementary.
  

    Priest River Elementary students set up the launch pad during Aeronautics Day.
  

    Students at Priest River Elementary celebrate after teacher Chris Naccarato sinks a foam football through a basketball hoop, as an example of how a spaceship lands back on Earth.
  

    Priest River Elementary students cheer as a rocket launches during the Aeronautics Day event.