STOCKTON, Calif. — A new school in Stockton now has an "out of this world" name.
It's called the "Astronaut Jose M. Hernandez Academy." It's located on East Swain Road in North Stockton.
"A lot of people, including myself, would say I really don't deserve this honor, but I certainly embrace it," said Jose Hernandez, the humble, former STS-128 Space Shuttle astronaut.
A crowd of dignitaries, students, staff and Hernandez's family, including his mother and father, attended the special school dedication.
"If it's going to encourage kids to dream big - because that's what education is about - education gives you that license to dream big," Hernandez said.
The new charter school is the brainchild of the non-profit El Concilio. It is a K-8 school that provides a "dual-language immersion STEM-focused curriculum." In other words, there is an emphasis on math and science, while welcoming those who speak other languages.
"We think that he personifies the type of student that is here at this school, and we want to let them know that they, like him, can succeed. They can accomplish anything that they want to in this great country," said Jose Rodriguez, Board Chair of the El Concilio Academies.
Students like eighth grader Shantel Ambriz were thrilled to meet the French Camp-born astronaut.
"He was dedicated and he took his time and he succeeded," Ambriz said.
Hernandez worked the fields as a child picking crops alongside his family. In 1972, he watched the Apollo 17 moon landing on a black and white tv, and it was then he realized he wanted to become an astronaut.
"Lots of children were like, 'why him?' And we would talk about him and we started diving into resilience - and that's actually our word, that's what our school is modeled (after). It is to be resilient, and the kids actually wrote about being resilient," said school principal Donita Drulias-Daumer.
The school currently has 220 students with room for as many as 280.
Already in session, if all goes well, El Concilio would like to open more charter schools in the future.
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