Southfield High is still the only school in Michigan that has a NASA program for students. It’s one of 50 such programs in the nation.
The two-year-old NASA program at SHS aims to get students involved in math and science and help them see its application to everyday life, said Michael Terrell, the school's NASA coordinator. “There is a major shortage of African-American engineers and scientists, and we want to fill that void” Terrel said.
Enrollment in the NASA class is 32 students.
Recently the NASA students held a day of rocket launches and student presentations for the public to draw attention to the school's unusual program. Several local politicians attended the event, which included an unveiling of a banner across the front of the school, designating it as a "NASA Explorer School."