Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society Candidate for Board Director

John Scala

Planetarium Director

Lenape Valley Regional High School

Stanhope, New Jersey

John has been planetarium director at Lenape Valley High School in Stanhope, NJ, since 1987. He is a graduate of Lycoming College, Williamsport, Pa, with a B.A. in Astronomy. His 53 seat Spitz 512 facility has hosted over 51,000 students and visitors during his tenure. He has also served as an adjunct instructor at both the Sussex and Morris community colleges, the latter equipped with a Zeiss Mark Four planetarium.

John is one of the first 75 teachers to be trained and nationally certified by the American Astronomical Society as an astronomy teacher resource agent. In this capacity John presents workshops dealing with astronomical topics to teachers throughout New Jersey. He does this either at his facility or at the annual NJ State Science Teacher’s Convention, held every October. He has been a frequent presenter at MAPS conferences as well.

John has been recognized for his efforts in astronomy education in many ways. He is the 1999 NJ Air Force Association’s State Teacher of the Year, the 1993 Lenape Valley Regional High School district’s NJ Governor’s Teacher Recognition recipient, the 1995 Lenape Valley Regional High School Teacher of the Year, and was selected for inclusion in the NJ “A+ for Kids Teacher’s Network” curriculum program.  He was also awarded a grant by the prestigious Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation to attend ‘Space Camp’ in Huntsville, Al.

In 1997 John was a member of an astronomy educator’s delegation of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific invited to travel to mainland China for two weeks of touring their astronomical observatories, planetaria, universities, and grade schools. His biography appears in several editions of “Who’ Who”, but he is most humbled by his inclusion in “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers” for these nominations can only be made by students with a ‘B’ average or higher, and they can only nominate one teacher from throughout their entire schooling. 

John is the public address announcer for Lenape Valley varsity football, and has been known to appear in a red suit at Christmas time in the local
area (Ho-Ho-Ho!)