DeSoto's Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet Academy honors space pioneer and mathematician
In DeSoto this week, students from one school are being immersed in the history of the woman who bears the name of their school and was immortalized in the movie "Hidden Figures."
The classwork for the Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet Academy reflects the science, technology and engineering direction of Johnson's career. But teaching these students about Johnson's journey is deemed a course on culture, confidence and commonality.
Born in 1918, Katherine Johnson became a well-known mathematician and a pioneer in America's space flight exploration history. Her story as a math genius for NASA during the nation's era of racial segregation is documented in the film "Hidden Figures." Johnson was famously depicted by actress Taraji P. Henson in the 2016 Oscar-nominated film, which told the stories of the Black women whose crucial contributions made America's triumph in the space race possible.
"If your school is named after somebody that helps the world, just think about what effect you could have on the world," said teacher Karen Pratt.
The academy has 600 students and one of the first lessons offered is a simple equation: hard work plus self-confidence equals the Katherine Johnson way.
"We gave them the opportunity all week long to tap into that legacy, be reminded of why we are named after Katherine Johnson, and why we wear that name with pride," said Yolanda Hanspard, the school's principal.
Some Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet Academy students wore glasses and dressed in the fashion of their De Soto magnet schools' namesake for the occasion.
"Her story has spoken to me, because it tells me nothing can limit my education or anything like that," said DeSoto student Maddox Meekins.
Katherine Johnson's legacy
After attending graduate school and working as a public school teacher, Johnson joined what is now known as NASA's Langley Research Center in 1953, according to NASA.
At NASA, she calculated the trajectory of Alan Shepard's 1961 space flight and verified the numbers guiding John Glenn's orbit. In 1969, she helped the Apollo program land men on the moon.
In 2016, Johnson told CBS News' Jan Crawford she got the courage from her father's motto.
"You're as good as anybody here," she said. "You're no worse. You're no better."
Johnson was a public champion of STEM education (courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics), and she became one of NASA's most inspirational figures. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said her dedication and skill as a mathematician "helped put humans on the Moon and before that made it possible for our astronauts to take the first steps in space." She retired in 1986.
In 2015, then-President Barack Obama awarded her the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Johnson died in 2020 at the age of 101.
Steve is an Emmy Award-winning journalist. He has been recognized nationally for his coverage of Public Education and his reports from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina garnered the "Best News Story" Katie Award from the Press Club of Dallas.
