For years, rumors have swirled throughout the halls of Padua concerning the contents of Padua’s 5th Floor. Freshmen see the extra flight of steps in one stairwell and wonder what lies upstairs. They wonder if it’s merely an extra classroom or a secret club for upperclassmen only. Meanwhile, those who have walked the halls for three or four years learn what truly lies upstairs, but choose to continue the rumor that a swimming pool awaits. I recently saw for myself what lies behind that usually-locked door, and I can’t help wondering why such a unique feature of our school is not better utilized.
Freshmen year, I was told that the fifth floor was a variety of rooms. Between the whispers of a pool, a senior hangout, an extra classroom, and a faculty room, I began wonder if the contents of this room changed as often as the room of requirement. By sophomore year, I came to the realization that a pool was unlikely, but watched amused by as my sister, a junior, convinced innocent freshmen that this rumor was true. Now that I am a senior, however, I decided to discover what lies behind that door for myself.
With Mr. Miller as our guide, some fellow students and I discovered that behind the locked door is a small room filled with various books, unused furniture, student council supplies, and a small spiral stairwell. At the top of the stairs is an astronomy tower. Under a domed ceiling was the biggest telescope any of us had ever seen. We all wondered why Padua never informed us that we had an awesome astronomy tower.
We learned that the Saint Michael’s Observatory was probably created because many years ago a Padua principal, an oblate priest, love astronomy. His favorite hobby was looking at the stars, so he implemented this hobby into Padua life. For years, astronomy was offered as a class every other year, in rotation with anatomy. However, as anatomy gained popularity, astronomy was moved to club status. Until about five or six years ago, Padua offered an astronomy club run by Mr. Miller himself. Due to difficulties involved with the light pollution of the city, the club lost popularity. Students longing to see bright binary stars and nebula were let down when the lights of Wilmington drowned out their view.
In addition to giving us a low-down about the astronomy tower’s past, he also took us back up to the tower and opened the ceiling. This revealed the entire blue sky above us and, when we climbed the ladder to the opening, we could see all of Wilmington. At night, Mr. Miller told us, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter, and Mars are all visible through the telescope.
Mr Miller finished by telling us, “I would like to see an astronomy class. Right now it does seem to be wasted space.” Well, I share your sentiment, Mr Miller. I think Padua can spare one storage room in favor of such an enlightening opportunity. Let’s hope that future Padua girls can take advantage of this fantastic resource.
