Having your congressman serve as the chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee can pay off.

It certainly did Monday for students at Kingfisher High School.

Students took part in a NASA program that allowed them to interact with astronauts on the International Space Station.

The opportunity was spawned when Congressman Frank Lucas reached out to the school district to gauge interest in taking part.

Lucas represents Oklahoma’s third congressional district, including Kingfisher County, and heads up the Science, Space and Technology Committee.

Kurt Kaya, the high school’s robotics and aviation teacher, worked with KHS students to film their questions and submit them to NASA.

Then, at just after 11 a.m. Monday, all KHS classrooms were linked to the International Space Station live as astronauts Steve Bowen and Frank Rubio listened to and then answered the questions as students watched.

It also included recorded opening and closing remarks from Lucas, who is recovering from a broken hip suffered recently while working on his farm.

“At such an exciting time in our nation’s space program, I was excited that our students had the opportunity to ask questions about life aboard the International Space Station,” said Lucas in a statement to the Times & Free Press.

“Conversations like that spark an interest in the STEM field that can last a lifetime. I’d like to thank our students for taking part in this event today, and NASA for giving them the chance to express their curiosity and learn firsthand from astronauts about life in space.

“I encourage the bright young men and women in Kingfisher to keep that sense of curiosity throughout their lives.”

For KHS students, learning from astronauts was just part of the day.

KHS Principal John Harris wanted to make the day as interactive as possible.

He reached out to the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board to see if that group would be interested in setting up STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities in the KHS commons area.

Harris had worked with OERB in conducting a STEM Day at one of his previous schools and OERB has held multiple STEM activities previously in Kingfisher.

Dover native Mindy Stitt is OERB’s executive director and was one of several staff members on hand for the event, which lasted throughout the day Monday.

Other exhibitors on hand included Southwestern Oklahoma State University College of Pharmacy, Museum of Osteology (America’s only skeleton museum), KISS Institute for Practical Robotics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Baugh’s Oilfield Toys LLC, Beacon Environmental, Devon Energy and Continental Resources.

All of the exhibits were interactive and Kingfisher Junior High students also were allowed to take part.

“We are honored to be included in this exciting day for Kingfisher students,” said Stitt. “The people of Oklahoma Oil and Natural Gas are dedicated to supporting education. Through their voluntary contributions, the OERB provides millions of dollars of STEM curricula and resources each year.”

On top of interacting with astronauts and taking part in the hands-on activities, the students and staff at KHS were treated to Chickfi l-A sandwiches, chips and drinks by the people of Oklahoma Oil and Natural Gas.

Harris worked directly with Lisa Schwarz, edugot cation director for OERB and a graduate of KHS, as well as Grace Enmeier, the district director for Lucas, in setting up the day’s activities.

Enmeier was joined at the event by Wesley Javorsky, a field representative for Lucas.

“The kids were really engaged and the day went off without a hitch,” Harris said.

The hands-on experience with the STEM exhibits stood out to the students.

“I really like how we to learn many different things and have fun while doing it,” said Yahir Perez, a KHS freshman. “I also really liked how, at some of the stations, you got to win some nice prizes. I really enjoyed the experience and hope we do it again.”

Added freshman Kyra Beck: “I thought the STEM booths were pretty cool because you got to interact with different activities.”