‘She was extremely enthusiastic’: Former students remember Christa McAuliffe

The space shuttle Challenger broke apart almost 40 years ago, claiming the life of Concord High School teacher Christa McAuliffe. She was one of seven crew members who died.

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Rick St. Hilaire was a student at Concord High School in January 1986 when the disaster took place. He says McAuliffe nurtured his interest in civics by supporting his independent study at the New Hampshire State House.

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“What I really remember is that she’s the kind of person that used to stir that kind of independent interest,” St. Hilaire said. “She was extremely enthusiastic.”

Today, St. Hilaire is a lawyer, and he says McAuliffe’s mentorship and the tragedy of the Challenger disaster continues to shape his decision-making today.

“Her ability to teach critical thinking is something that’s still alive today, certainly something that lives with me,” St. Hilaire said.

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Andrea Rice was a senior at Concord High School at the time. She says she remembers how at the beginning of the school year, all her classmates had divided themselves into groups based on their interests. Following the loss of McAuliffe, Rice says a lot of walls between different groups of people came down.

“We had this shared experience, and it created a tie that I don’t know that other high school senior classes had,” Rice said.