A student-led contact with astronauts through the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program was a great success that earned significant media attention. On Monday 11th December 2023, students at Harbor Creek High School in Harborcreek, Pennsylvania, used amateur radio to talk with Astronaut Andreas Mogensen, KG5GCZ.

The students are part of the Advanced Technologies Group, KC3SGV, an after-school club at Harbor Creek. Fifteen of the students are licensed radio amateurs. Their faculty advisor, Assistant Principal Drew Mortensen, AC3DS, is a graduate of the Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology, a professional development program led by ARRL Mortensen utilized what he learned in the program and brought it back to the school. The ARISS contact is just one of the many successes the program has had.

ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, was on hand for the contact, and he was impressed by the skills demonstrated by the students.

Local, regional, and national media took note of the students' success. Local television newscasts featured the event, and NBC Journalist Harry Smith and a crew from NBC's TODAY were at the event to tell the story about the young hams.

ARRL Director of Development Kevin Beal, K8EAL, mentioned that the media coverage demonstrates the impact that the donors who have funded the Teachers Institute have on the future of amateur radio. Beal said, "The reach goes far beyond the one-week training institute and ripples out farther than we can see."