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Grossmont High Honors Three Alumni Astronauts With New Campus Mural

By Santee Pulse Staff · Published June 9, 2026 · 3 min read
Grossmont High Honors Three Alumni Astronauts With New Campus Mural
Photo: ABC 10 News / East County Magazine

Grossmont High School students now have a new reminder of the school's connection to space history: a campus mural honoring three alumni who became astronauts, according to East County Magazine.\n\nThe mural honors Bill Anders, Ellen Ochoa and Rick Sturckow. Its backdrop features the Apollo 8 Earthrise photo taken by Anders, East County Magazine reported.\n\nInside the Grossmont High Museum, visitors can also see displays about the former Foothillers and their accomplishments. Ochoa was the first Hispanic woman in space and later directed NASA's Johnson Space Center; Anders flew aboard Apollo 8; and Sturckow helped build the International Space Station.\n\nFor Santee and East County families, the mural is a local school story with a bigger message: students do not have to look far to find examples of graduates who reached unusually high places. The museum project, launched in 2007 by retired English teachers Connie and Lynn Baer, continues to preserve those local ties.\n\nSource: East County Magazine.

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