IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. — Sometimes, instead of saying "goodbye," really what we should say is "see you later." In this Zevely Zone, I went to Imperial Beach to visit an old friend.
It was a surprise I never saw coming. News 8 received an email from an educational organization that gave new life to our old News 8 TV satellite van.
Victor Ciccarelli told me he wanted to buy a school bus for his organization called 4D "Sci."
"We saw your van and I went' that is so much cooler than a bus,'" said Victor with a huge smile.
"You all ready?" Victor asked students at the Bayside S.T.E.A.M Academy.
They shouted out, "Yeah!"
All of the kids put on virtual reality goggles that took them places they could not have gone themselves.
The technology is flowing out of the van. Not just any van, but our longtime News 8 Satellite Truck that has been repainted with the 4D Sci logo. As I looked closer, I could clearly see the old van News 8 used in the 2003 Cedar fire when my wife, Heather, reported from Scripps Ranch. From Charger games, to the Malibu fires, and snow storms, we took that van everywhere. I brought pictures of me sitting in the back of the van during the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles with photographer Scott Hall.
"I have some strange and wonderful memories," said Scott.
We found a picture of Scott digging around in the back of the van for who knows what. We cued up a News 8 archive clip from 2014. Steve Price was reporting while working out of the van when he spotted Scott working on a spot fire.
"I want to show you [that] one of our photographers, Scott Hall, is up on a hill right now," said Steve. "He found a shovel and he is turning over some dirt at some hot spots trying to keep the fire from kicking back up over here."
So imagine our surprise when we heard the van KFMB Stations donated to charity was bought at auction by 4D Sci then repurposed for a new purpose. 4D Sci converted the van to be the base of their in-school VR Educational programs. The van now serves to bring an amazing amount of joy to students and opens new worlds for the kids using virtual reality. Kevin Coordt, the Principal at Bayside S.T.E.A.M. Academy, said our old van is up to its old tricks, taking people places they wouldn't have gone themselves.
"You can stand in the middle of the American Revolution or you could be in a Tibetan hut and see how they are serving tea," said Coordt.
4D Sci programs are all free for students, including the STEAM Maker Festival at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. 4D Sci is hoping the van will help promote their Educational Festival, STEAM Maker at the Del Mar Fair grounds on Dec. 7th. The program works directly with the San Diego County Board of Education and its sponsors, Qualcomm, SDG&E, Cubic and others to make it possible.
"We are going to bring in about 6 to 8 thousand kids," said Victor. "It's sponsored by Qualcomm and SDG& E and Cubic and a lot of our great sponsors take care of us to allow us to put on this great festival."
Had we known the van was going to take another lap, we might have cleaned up under the seats.
"This right here is a cookie bit," I announced after digging under my old seat. "A peanut butter cracker wrapper? That's a Carlo. Carlo Cecchetto for sure," I announced.
200,000 miles and still going strong. Safe travels old friend.
For more information on the STEAM Maker Festival at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on December 7th go to https://steammakerfest.org/