Civil Air Patrol’s Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) program held its 2021-2022 National ACE Lift-off event at Creekside Elementary School on Thursday morning, November 18. In attendance with special guests was the entire campus of first through fifth-grade students involved in various science, technology, engineering, and math activities. During the event, Assistant Principal, Deanna Willman, and teacher, Shelley Sanders, flew over the school in a CAP Texas Wing Cessna 182 airplane.
Creekside won two National ACE Awards for the 2020-2021 school year. The National ACE School of the Year is conducted by the school’s Flight Crew specialists: Candice Cozart, Rachel Bily, Vernell Wright, Crystal Valderez, and Melanie Justice. Justice is the school’s P.E. teacher and was also named the ACE Coordinator of the Year. She also teaches STEM to students as a part of her P.E. program. As the national ACE school of the year, Creekside was invited by the Civil Air Patrol to conduct the 2021-2022 National ACE Lift-off event.
The students and staff of Creekside Elementary wore special ACE shirts co-sponsored by the Houston Concho Air Force Association Chapter 305, with Mike Wong, chapter president in attendance. Two supporting Civil Air Patrol squadrons participated in the liftoff event, SWR-TX-455 Nacogdoches Composite Squadron and SWR-TX-176 Conroe 7-6 Air Calvary Composite Squadron.
Since the Aerospace Connections program inception in 2007, over 2,500 schools in all 50 states have participated, reaching almost 500,000 students. Nearly 70,000 students nationwide are already registered for the ACE program this year.
Teachers report 27% increase in science thinking skills using this program. ACE teachers agree that ACE fits well with skills/standards/concepts they are required to teach.
The Air Force Association sponsors the annual ACE award grants and end-of-year certificates, and have chapters around the country that support ACE classes in many ways.
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