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CLEVELAND, March 25 - NASA selected four high school teams as finalists in the Balloonsat High Altitude Flight competition. Their experiments will be the payload aboard a NASA weather balloon that will launch May 25-27. The balloon will be sent to the near space environment of the stratosphere, an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet. The competition is hosted by NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

The high school teams and the names of their experiments are:


Charlottesville High School, Charlottesville, Va. -- "The Effects of Near-Space Conditions on Escherichia Coli Bacteria"

Upper St. Clair High School, Upper St. Clair, Pa. -- "The Effect of Near-Space Conditions on Microbial Life Forms"

Stansbury High School, West Jordan, Utah -- "Thermal Moisture Penetration"

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, N.C. -- "Variations on Polyethylene Hard Disk Radiation Shields"

During flight days, the teams will release, track and recover their experiments. They also will present a report on their findings at Glenn's Balloonsat Symposium.

One team's experiment will be judged the best, and Glenn representatives will present an award to them at their school next fall.

These four finalists were selected from 10 teams of students in grades nine through 12 from around the country that submitted proposals. They each received funding for development of their experiment and travel expenses for four students and an advisor to attend flight days at Glenn.

The Balloonsat High Altitude Flight program is one of many educational outreach programs to stimulate interest in science, technology, engineering and math disciplines critical to NASA's future missions. The competition is sponsored by the Educational Programs Office at Glenn; Teaching from Space, a NASA education office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston; and the Ohio Space Grant Consortium, Cleveland.

DALLAS, March 24 - Close-Up TV News recognizes Castle Montessori Schools for its successful and progressive approach to early childhood education.

The experience and care of teachers, combined with the effectiveness of the school's administration, determine the quality of education a school can provide. Unfortunately, as economic concerns have begun to dictate educational decisions, many schools fall short of the high standards to which they ought to be held and the people who truly suffer are the children themselves.

Founded by Vikas and Varsha Patel, Castle Montessori Schools were established to provide the highest standards in early childhood education which will enable children to compete in the global economy during their adult life.

"Our mission is to provide families with the highest quality, Montessori education for each child by employing world-class, certified teachers and providing newly built, upscale facilities that are child-centric in design," says Varsha Patel. "Our schools were also built to meet the growing demands of parents seeking a Montessori-based, early childhood education as an alternative to traditional daycare or childcare providers."

The Montessori teaching method is a child-centered educational method based on the life work of educator Dr. Maria Montessori. This method is characterized by emphasizing self-directed activity on the part of the child and clinical observation on the part of the teacher. Students learn about leadership and time management as early as age three and most graduate Castle Montessori schools well above their grade level.

Since 2007, Castle Montessori has opened a new school each year throughout the Dallas, Texas area. Despite the recent economic downturn, the schools continue to thrive with their newest location in Frisco, Texas scheduled to open later this year.

"The growth of our schools is primarily a function of the passion and dedication our people have for our children," says Vikas Patel. "We actually listen to the families we serve in order to insure that the quality and expectations of our schools are being upheld proactively on a daily basis."

As such, the quality of the teaching staff is one of the highest priorities. Castle Montessori teachers go through a rigorous screening process to see if they can do the job in a compassionate and nurturing manner. Lead teachers at all Castle Montessori Schools are required to have their certifications from either the American Montessori Society (AMS), Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) or a training center accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education Commission (MACTE). These certifications insure they have undergone a comprehensive Montessori training program and met internship requirements.