Planetarium Focal Point Of Booker T. Washington's New Magnet Program

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) — The skies the limit for students attending Booker T. Washington's new astronomy magnet program thanks to its newly-renovated planetarium.

The media, along with students and staff, were given a sneak peak at the half-million dollar facility – the only one of its kind in South Florida.

The planetarium is set to officially unveil at the end of the month and serve as the centerpiece for the school's brand-new, astronomy magnet program.

The facility features a new high-definition digital projector with state-of-the-art sound and lighting that will take students from the surface of Mars to the bottom of the ocean.

"To have something like this is, exposing our students to things they would not normally see. What the planetarium offers, you cannot teach this out of a book. To just go through this on a daily basis is going to make a tremendous impact," said William Aristide, Booker T. Washington's principal.

One student believes it is only a matter of time before others gravitate to the new facility.

"Considering the job growth that we're seeing in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, that's really what we need to be doing to get children of Overtown and also from the entire Miami-Dade County Public Schools area ready for the workplace tomorrow," said Angelo Fajardo.

The deadline to register for Miami-Dade County Public School's nearly 400 magnet programs is coming up this Thursday, January 15th.

If you're interested, go to miamimagnets.org.

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