AISD - Facilities

Planetarium | Planetarium Public Shows Schedule | Shotwell Stadum | Facilities Map

Planetarium

The Abilene ISD Planetarium began as a dream of Superintendent A. E. Wells in 1967. Construction began in 1968 and it opened in January 1969 at a cost of $171,039. AISD named the facility the Morgan Jones Planetarium in 1972 to honor retiring School Board member Morgan Jones for his 22 years of service to the district. During the past 34 years, approximately 500,000 people have attended a planetarium show. Currently, the planetarium serves about 15,000 people per year. AISD students in grades one through twelve visit the planetarium on a regular basis. Public shows are also offered and are often scheduled to coincide with current events in astronomy.

The programs at the planetarium are curriculum-based and designed to address the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills of each grade level. At the planetarium, special effect machines are used to visually demonstrate some of the more difficult scientific concepts. They allow students to view simulated versions of phenomena in space. Instruction is designed to promote an understanding and appreciation of the design, significance, and beauty of the universe.

The Planetarium Curriculum

Group	Curriculum Topics
Pre-K, K	TBA for 2003-4
First grade	Direction, Pluto, the night sky
Second Grade	Seasons, Mercury, comets
Third Grade	Atmosphere, Venus, Mercury Program, supernovas
Fourth Grade	Sun energy, Mars, Gemini Program, auroras,
Fifth Grade	Earth/moon system, Apollo Program, nebulae,
Sixth Grade	Jupiter, gravity, Skylab, asteroids, sun
Seventh Grade	Saturn, laws of motion, Shuttle, seasons, time, moon phases, nova, pulsars
Eighth Grade	Uranus & Neptune, light years, galaxies, stars, quasars, Space Station.
Biology	Non-Earth environments, Space Station, waste disposal, search for life forms
Chemistry	Composition of atmosphere, planets, stars, states of matter, radiation, space fuels
Physics	Planetary motion, Law of Motion, free-fall & medicine, micro-gravity
Integrated Physics & Chemistry	Space platforms, Doppler effect, star formations, effects of gravity
Astronomy	Instrumentation, declination and right ascension, locating objects in space
Geography	Land forms on planets, ecosystems, global survival

Public Shows ( 4 per year)	$3 Adult, $2 Student
Out-of-District Schools	$2 per person
Private Shows	$150.00 Rental

Shotwell Stadium

Shotwell Stadium was built in the late 1950’s, using Rice Stadium, the site of Rice University football games, as a model. It was initially named the Public Schools Stadium. The first game played in the Stadium was in the fall of 1959. Shortly after the first season, the stadium was renamed Shotwell Stadium, after the late P.E. “Pete” Shotwell, a longtime football coach at Abilene High School.

Until the summer of 2002, there were few changes in the stadium except for normal maintenance and upgrades. In the spring of 2002, the Abilene ISD Board of Trustees approved an exclusive vendor contract with Abtex Beverage Corporation, which provided funding for major renovations to the stadium. The initial upgrades included the installation of SafePlay turf, the latest generation of artificial playing surface for athletic fields. The new turf, drain system, access ramps, goalposts, and other changes were completed in late summer of 2002, in time for the 2002 football season.

In August 2003, as a result of corporate sponsorship, a state-of-the-art scoreboard with an integrated color animation screen was installed on the north end. The south end scoreboard was upgraded and integrated with the new scoreboard. As a result, Shotwell Stadium became one of only a few high school stadiums in Texas with two scoreboards.

Preliminary plans for additional renovations call for paving the parking lots, remodeling the dressing rooms and adding a new pressroom. The end goal is to offer an attractive and functional high school athletic stadium.

For additional information about Shotwell Stadium, please contact the Athletic Office - 325-671-4078.

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