November 2, 2018
By JAMES EVANS
Rutherford County Schools
Ten-year-old Jada Scott knows exactly what she wants to do for a career.
“A space rocket engineer,” said Jada, quickly pointing out that she does not want to be an astronaut.
But while her passion is about space and engineering, it might surprise people to know that Jada has chosen to express her interest in this field through a book she has published.
That’s right, Jada, a fifth-grader at Homer Pittard Campus School, has authored a book titled “Talking Planets: The Night Problem.”
“It’s about all the planets coming together, and they are talking about the problems they have at night,” Jada explained. “The problems are based on their planet features. So for example, Jupiter and his Great Red Spot, it kind of keeps him up at night.”
The book is available on Amazon, and if you’d like to meet the author and get a signed copy, Jada and her parents are hosting an event at the Discovery School in Murfreesboro on Saturday, Nov. 3.
It’s not uncommon for elementary-aged children to change interests as quickly as they can change shoes, but Jada’s creativity and her interest in space and engineering has been sustained for quite a while, said her dad, Jamie.
“She’s always designing things. That’s something she’s always been into and so (her wanting to publish a book) wasn’t a real big shock,” Jamie said. “Once she picked the interest in rocket ships and things, it wasn’t a big surprise to us.”
It also helps that her mom, Brooke, already works in a STEM-related field as a portfolio manager overseeing multiple information technology projects. STEM is an education term that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, and careers in those fields are hot commodities.
“Personally, I’m a big supporter of STEM because I work in technology as well,” Brooke said. “We talk a lot about it and plan activities around it. Growing up, we always attended different things to give her exposure. So I was pretty elated that she was interested in this area and wanted to write about it.”
The Scott’s already have an author in the family, who helped guide Jada through the editing and publishing process.
Jada’s idea for a book jelled when she visited the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, which is couple of hours from the Murfreesboro area.
“Seeing the rocket ship that they have on display, it really inspired me, and then I learned more about the planets and so I decided to write about it,” Jada said.
Campus School Principal Dr. Sherry King learned about Jada’s book when she saw her displaying it at a booth during the school’s recent Fall Festival.
“I was amazed to see her name on a published book,” King said. “I found one and read it myself. I was amazed.
“She’s always stood out. She’s a very bright girl and is always passionate about what she’s doing and confident. I see a very bright future for her.”
As for her career trajectory, she has already settled on a project.
“Hopefully, I want to create a rocket ship that would go beyond our galaxy. That’s what I want to accomplish if I can get a job. “
The book signing event will be held at The Discovery Center, located at 502 Southeast Broad Street in Murfreesboro. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.