''A Smile as Big as the Moon'' is a Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie. The film debuted on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

on January 29, 2012.

John Corbett John Joseph Corbett Jr. (born May 9, 1961) is an American actor and country music singer. On television, he is best known for his roles as Chris Stevens on ''Northern Exposure'' (1990–1995), Aidan Shaw on ''Sex and the City'' (2000–2003), ...

stars in this film based on the 2002 memoir of the same title by teacher Mike Kersjes and Joe Layden. The movie shows the challenges Kersjes faced as he worked to bring out the best from his

special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

students by taking them to Space Camp, which had, until that time been perceived as a program best suited to advanced science and math students, well beyond the reach of special education students. Several actors playing students in the film have

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

and/or

learning disabilities Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty (British English) is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficult ...

Plot

Ben, a student with Down syndrome, in Mike Kersjes's

Forest Hills Northern High School Forest Hills Northern High School is a public high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. It is one of three high schools in the Forest Hills Public Schools district, the other two being Forest Hills Central High School and Forest Hills ...

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

, special education class, dreams of becoming an

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

. Kersjes, who is also a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

coach is inspired to pursue Space Camp for his students. Obstacles mount as school administrators object to the expense and Space Camp officials have no experience with special-ed students. Teacher Robynn McKinney supports Kersjes's efforts. Eventually the trip is approved by the necessary parties, and Kersjes faces another set of challenges: fundraising, preparing the students for their trip with science and physical education, and battling bullying and belittling from other students. Kersjes engages the football team in these endeavors.

Filming

The film was shot primarily in

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...

and at

United States Space Camp Space Camp is an educational camp in Huntsville, Alabama, on the grounds of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center museum near NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. It provides residential and educational programs for children and adults on themes such ...

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in ...

. One scene used Sky Theater inside Ingram Planetarium of Sunset Beach, North Carolina, which was adapted to appear as a planetarium would have in 1988. Filming took place there September 28, 2011.

Cast

as Mike Kersjes: A high school special education teacher who takes his class to Space Camp *

Jessy Schram Jessica Schram (born January 15, 1986) is an American actress, model and singer. Her most notable roles include Hannah Griffith in ''Veronica Mars'', Rachel Seybolt in ''Life'', Karen Nadler in ''Falling Skies'' and Cinderella/Ashley Boyd in '' ...

as Robynn McKinney *

Cynthia Watros Cynthia Michele Watros (born September 2, 1968) is an American actress recognized for her roles in both daytime and primetime television. In 1994, she was cast in the regular role of Annie Dutton on ''Guiding Light'', which earned her the Day ...

as Dr. Deborah Barnhart *

Logan Huffman Logan Huffman (born December 22, 1989) is an American actor. He appeared in the 2009 TV series '' V'' and starred in the 2013 film ''Bad Turn Worse''. Personal life Huffman was born in Noblesville, Indiana, where he was the first born of tripl ...

as Scott Goudy: A boy with Dyslexia and

anger management Anger management is a psycho-therapeutic program for anger prevention and control. It has been described as deploying anger successfully.Schwarts, Gil. July 2006. Anger Management', July 2006 The Office Politic. Men's Health magazine. Emmaus, PA: ...

problems who hates being in special ed. * Breezy Eslin as Stephanie Reinks: A girl with

ADD Addition (usually signified by the plus symbol ) is one of the four basic operations of arithmetic, the other three being subtraction, multiplication and division. The addition of two whole numbers results in the total amount or '' sum'' of ...

and

Bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

. She is also never one to let anything slide. * Abigale Coorigan as Lisa Casey: A girl with ADHD and OCD. She is also the class tattletale. * Peter ten Brink as Ben Schmidt: A boy with

. * David Lambert as Steve Bennett: A boy with ADHD and

Tourette syndrome Tourette syndrome or Tourette's syndrome (abbreviated as TS or Tourette's) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by multiple movement (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) ...

. He is the most hyperactive student in the class. * Jimmy Bellinger as Matt Snyder: A boy with

Autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

. He is a whiz of

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

and

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

. * Kesun Loder (

K'Sun Ray Kesun Mitchell Loder (born May 1993), better known by his stage name, K'Sun Ray, is an American actor. He is known for starring as Timmy Robinson in the 2006 zombie film '' Fido''. Personal life K'Sun was born in May 1993, as Kesun Loder in th ...

) as Lewis Dayhuff: A boy with Dyslexia. He lives with his 13th foster family, and also had a temper that made Scott seem tame. * Tyrin Niles Wyche as Jamal Davis: A boy who is mentally slow and slow to get agitated. He is the most quiet student. * Tanner Dow as Adam Plowright: A boy with

and OCD. He is the class gentle giant with a "heart that matches his size". * E. Roger Mitchell as Tom Keller: The principal at Forest Hills Northern High School. *

Keith Flippen Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...

as Dennis Schmidt: The father of Ben Schmidt. *

Moira Kelly Moira Kelly (born on March 6, 1968 in Queens, New York) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Kate Moseley in the 1992 film ''The Cutting Edge'' as well as single mother Karen Roe on the teen drama '' One Tree Hill''. She is also k ...

as Darcy Kersjes: The wife of Mike Kersjes. *

Mike Pniewski Michael Pniewski (born April 20, 1961) is an American actor and public speaker. Life and career Pniewski was born in Los Angeles, California. His education began at UCLA, where he graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theater and al ...

as Big Dan: The owner of a fast food restaurant called Big Dan's Burger Shed. *

Louise Linton Louise Linton ( née Hay; born 20 December 1980) is a Scottish actress. She has appeared in the horror films ''Cabin Fever'' and '' Intruder'', in minor roles in the television series ''CSI: NY'' and ''Cold Case'', and wrote, directed, produced ...

as Julie: The counselor for the team "Big Dan's Burger Shed". *

Fred Griffith Frederick Griffith (1877–1941) was a British bacteriologist whose focus was the epidemiology and pathology of bacterial pneumonia. In January 1928 he reported what is now known as Griffith's Experiment, the first widely accepted demonstratio ...

as Judge

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smile As Big As the Moon 2012 television films 2012 films Hallmark Hall of Fame episodes Films shot at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Films shot in North Carolina Films shot in Alabama Space camps Special education Television Academy Honors winners Films directed by James Steven Sadwith