With a plan to save up over his entire lifetime, East biology teacher Derek Chastain wanted to build his dream telescope.

To compensate for the cost of such high technology equipment, Chastain was even willing to settle on a telescope with less features than he wanted.

However, Chastain’s plan was completely rearranged when he received a letter telling him he would be receiving a grant for $12,000 to build his telescope with premium components.

“It is my dream telescope, with all of the bells and whistles,” Chastain said.

More specifically, Chastain has been chosen as a recipient of the Teacher Fellowship Creativity Program for 2017. As part of the Lilly Endowment Inc., this program chooses 100 participants for a $12,000 grant to complete a project or go on a trip related to education.

For Indiana’s private and public school teachers, guidance counselors or principals to enter into the competition, they must write a proposal paper. This is where the teacher lays out their plan for what they would like to do with the grant, create a budget and establish a timeline for the project. Teachers can also describe a trip that they would like to take and how they it would be used educationally.

Science Department Chair Aaron Lynott was a former winner that had the chance to take a trip to the Galápagos Islands. Lynott was able to assist Chastain, give him pointers and write him a letter of recommendation.

After talking with Lynott, Chastain decided that he would lay out his plan for building a new telescope and write about his passion for astronomy and include the link between astronomy with biology.

As of now, Chastain is still preparing for the grant money, as he will not receive it until February. Since the telescope takes four to six weeks to build, Chastain plans to build it over the summer. Overall, Chastain is honored that he gets the chance to complete this project and build his dream telescope.

“I am really excited; this is a neat opportunity. I am still in shock, I never thought I would have this opportunity,” Chastain said.