St. Helen Catholic School's 5th through 8th grades were treated last week to a special visit from extreme scientist Paul Flaherty of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Mr. Paul Flaherty, Chief of the Science Section of the Marine and Aviation Operations, based at Mac Dill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida came to talk to the students and discuss with them the experience of flying into a hurricane. The kids enjoyed watching a short video as one of the NOAA planes flew into the eye of a major hurricane. The video, along with Mr. Flaherty's detailed description really made the children understand how dangerous, yet exciting and fascinating these flights are, and that the pilot and crew put themselves in danger almost every day. One student asked: "If it is that dangerous to fly into these storms, why do you bother putting yourself at such risk?" Mr. Flaherty replied "It is worth knowing we can save lives!"

The students learned that NOAA's work does not only include flying into the eye of hurricanes, but also researching and analyzing weather and climate data all over the world, tracking and protecting endangered species and their habitats, observing tides and water levels, and much more.

Thanks to Mr. Flaherty the students gained insight to the different facets of NOAA and enjoyed a flight into the fury without the risks. It was a great presentation and there are some who are even hoping for a career with NOAA, and some gained fresh ideas for the upcoming Science Fair.

Keep Mr. Flaherty and the flight crews at NOAA in your prayers, that they will stay safe while protecting human lives, monitoring wild life species and contributing to the conservation of the precious habitats we all share!