Edward St. John Foundation Pledges $1,000,000 to Alpine School District Towards Construction of a New Space Center at Central Elementary School

Pleasant Grove Location Set for Matching Funds Challenge from the
Foundation

PLEASANT GROVE, Utah–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, the Edward St. John Foundation and Alpine School District
(ASD) announced a $1 million commitment from the Edward St. John
Foundation toward the construction of a state of the art Space
Center and Planetarium in Utah Valley. The new facility will be
located on the Central Elementary School Campus in Pleasant Grove and
represents the priority project for ASD.

The new Space Center is set to break ground in March 2019 on the Central
Elementary School campus in Pleasant Grove, with completion expected in
the Fall of 2020. The Center will include a 40-foot planetarium dome,
astronaut seating, surround sound, advanced theater lighting, upgraded
workstations and network backbone, theater projection systems, and six
state-of-the-art starship simulators. The facility will also include
flex space for future programs.

The commitment is part of a four-year pledge in which the Foundation
will match dollar-for-dollar funds raised by the Alpine School District.
The overall fundraising goal for the project is $4 million to replace
and expand its popular Space Center in Pleasant Grove.

“We are thrilled to help launch this exciting project that is sure to
fire the imaginations of young people for science and space
exploration,” states Sharon Akers, President of the Edward St. John
Foundation. “Pleasant Grove is a high growth center for Utah, which
makes it the perfect location to serve students throughout the valley.”

“The District and the tens of thousands of students it serves can look
forward to a tremendous resource for learning and fun through this
generous gift by the Edward St. John Foundation,” states Rob Smith,
Assistant Superintendent for Alpine School District. “Generous partners
like the Edward St. John Foundation play a key role in meeting the
financial challenges in what is now Utah’s largest school district. We
look forward to other organizations joining us in this season of giving.”

“The successful NASA InSight landing on Mars has rekindled the
excitement around space exploration and its benefits for bettering lives
on Earth,” states John Curtis, U.S. Congress. “Our state’s students and
scientists have contributed greatly to scientific space discovery that
advances the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
This new Space Center will further prepare tomorrow’s scientists to
contribute to a bright future.”

For project details and video see: https://spacecenter.alpineschools.org/planetarium/

About the Edward St. John Foundation

The Edward
St. John Foundation provides financial assistance to formal
education programs through the high school level. Our mission is based
on the strong belief that “education has the power to transform lives
and strengthen communities,” primarily focused on school-related
programs.

Contacts

Edward St. John Foundation | John Pilmer | PilmerPR | 801-369-7535 |
john[at]pilmerpr.com

Alpine School District | David Stephenson | 801-610-8409 |
dstephenson[at]alpinedistrict.org