Joliet Montessori Student Helps Honor Astronaut Legend Lovell

The Adler Planetarium’s annual Celestial Ball is a black-tie gala that draws hundreds of philanthropists from all over the country. This year’s event was extra special for one young man from Joliet Montessori School (JMS). During the evening of September 8th, Hudson Lindich, a JMS third grader, was privileged to help the Adler Planetarium present astronaut Captain James Lovell a lifetime achievement award.

Capt. Lovell is perhaps best known for commanding the crippled Apollo 13 mission, where his quick thinking, along with that of fellow astronauts Frank Borman and Michael Collins, turned a near-fatal disaster into a triumph of human ingenuity and courage.

This story captured Hudson’s imagination and prompted him to participate in the Adler-sponsored “Letters to Lovell” effort, which invited the general public to write Captain Lovell with fond wishes and stories of inspiration taken from his heroic career in the American space program, including his achievements aboard Gemini 7, Gemini 12 and Apollo 8.

Hudson’s letter caught the attention of Adler management because it included mention of his performance as Captain Lovell in Joliet Montessori School’s “wax museum” event, where elementary students took on the personas of their heroes.

In support of the Adler’s mission to inspire the next generation of space exploration, Hudson was invited to participate in a special video presentation, and to attend the Celestial Ball with his parents, where he shared the stage with Capt. Lovell himself as he received his lifetime achievement award.

Hudson’s third-grade JMS teacher, Suzannah Walter, was excited to learn about Hudson’s role in the event. “Hudson’s understanding of the space program, and the Apollo program in particular, is something that he has driven himself. It’s a wonderful example of how Montessori classrooms foster a true love of learning, and the freedom to pursue a subject as far as the student can take it,” Walter said.

“Even better, his experience has inspired his classmates to reach out to important people that they admire – many of my students are now writing to Nobel Peace Prize winners. In a Montessori classroom, each child is ateacher as well as a student. When something so beautiful blossoms out of nowhere like this, there’s no telling how far the positive effects can reach. When you have one student inspiring others, they go on to inspire others as well. That’s the recipe for meaningful change.”

Head of School Heidi Geiger mirrored Ms. Walter’s sentiments. “Hudson has a tenacious side to him. When he finds a subject he likes, he will research it to exhaustion. A Montessori environment gives children the freedom to gain that kind of deeper understanding – we actually encourage it from every child at every age. They are natural learners, natural achievers, and with the right support and freedom, they will exceed your expectations every time.”

For his part, Hudson was quoted as saying “that was the best night of my life!” After appearing before more than 700 black-tie guests with his personal hero, Hudson remains more dedicated than ever to someday walking on the surface of the moon, Mars and, after that… who knows?

Joliet Montessori School is located at 1600 Root Street in Crest Hill. As the only dual-certified Montessori school in Will County, and one of a select few nationwide holding certifications from both the American Montessori Society (AMS) and Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), JMS offers enrollment for children from toddler age to 9th grade.

To learn more about the school, the advantages of Montessori education, please contact Heidi Geiger, Head of School at 815-741-4180. You can also book a tour with Heidi here.

Photos courtesy of the Adler Planetarium.

Editorial disclosure: Hudson Lindich is related to the author of this article.