RIO RANCHO, N.M. — While Roswell may be the Alien Capital of the World, Rio Rancho is quickly becoming a national hub for UFO research – and some local students will soon be getting a crash course.
Rio Rancho Public Schools is joining forces with the National UFO Historical Records Center for a first-of-its-kind partnership. The district gave the archive a permanent home. The archivists are giving students and teachers an all-access pass for some rather unique lessons.
If this all sounds a little out there, they’re inviting you to come check it out for yourself this weekend.
There are thousands upon thousands upon thousands of declassified government documents, news clippings, audio recordings and all sorts of other items detailing reported UFO sightings. It’s all meticulously organized inside portable classrooms next to Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Rio Rancho.
“We hope that history will inspire kids to learn more about physics, science, and the universe we live in
“We’re not here to make people believe in UFOs, to make people believe in aliens, quite the contrary. We really want to bring in elements of science, physics, critical thinking, the investigative process into that dialogue,” said David Marler, executive director of the National UFO Historical Records Center.
That’s what got RRPS leaders thinking outside the box.
“Our interest really is critical thinking and especially today on the internet, students are exposed to all kinds of information, true and untrue, and we want to give them the tools to be able to dissect the evidence that is presented to them and to make a good, informed decision whether something is true or untrue. In the UFO realm, it’s just a really good subject matter to springboard into that critical thinking piece,” said Michael Baker, COO of Rio Rancho Public Schools.
Officials with the National UFO Historical Records Center met with teachers ahead of the school year. They gave them some ideas on how to utilize the growing archive to expand their lesson plans.
“There’s science involved. There’s math involved, especially when you’re doing an investigation of a velocity of a craft. I mean, there’s definitely physics involved, so I think it gets a kid more engaged in the sciences and history at the same time,” said Barry Roth, chief archivist of National UFO Historical Records Center.
Important knowledge is needed to answer the biggest question of them all.
“Anyone that says UFOs are extraterrestrial, they’re alien, prove it. If people want to try to prove that hypothesis, then the information is here,” Marler said.
You can try to prove it yourself this weekend. The National UFO Historical Records Center hosting a community open house Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is next to MLK Elementary in Rio Rancho at 1301 Nicklaus Dr SE, Rio Rancho, NM 87124.
The Rio Rancho Astronomical Society will also be there with their telescopes for a peek into space.
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