THIS MONTH: Program updates - News and Events - AE Safety Check - Curriculum - Important things to know

It’s time to recognize all ACE schools, teachers, and students that have been reaching for the stars this year. The ACE committee is looking for the best, brightest, and most excellent in ACE Schools … and that could be YOU! Nominations are now being accepted for National ACE School, Teacher, and Student of the Year for the 2024-2025 school year. Nomination forms can be found by clicking HERE. Look on the right side of the web page under Related Links to download each form. Make sure to fill out each nomination and send it in with photos, newspaper articles, social media posts, and recommendation letters to ace@capnhq.gov.

Don’t forget to submit your ACE Completion Report this year. Your feedback will help us in editing and reevaluating the program for next year. Click HERE to go directly to the Online ACE Completion Form. Make sure to have your CAP ID# and password handy so that you can log into eServices.

Thanks for all that you do and for making your FACE a part of ACE this year!

And if you aren't a part of ACE yet, it's not too late to join for the 2024-2025 school year. Registration closes March 31.

Sue Mercer

ACE Program Manager

smercer@capnhq.gov

ACE Plus: CAP Cadets mentor in classrooms

CAP cadets mentor ACE students in classrooms with airplanes, rockets, and career exploration! Teachers in grades 5-8 who register for the ACE program can have their classroom adopted by a local CAP squadron with adults and cadets coming to the school to teach ACE and other aerospace/STEM lessons!

To find out how amazing this collaborative program can be for both teachers and CAP squadrons, read about the two nationally recognized ACE Plus collaborative squadron and school teams from Michigan and Florida. (YOUR squadron and classroom could be one of the next national ACE Plus winning teams!)

Interested teachers can complete the top of the Request to Collaborate Form and send to their state’s CAP volunteer Director of Aerospace Education (DAE) as found on the list HERE. The state’s DAE will connect the teacher to a squadron, which will complete the bottom portion of the form and submit to adopt@capnhq.gov for processing. THEN, the magic will start!  ACE Plus registration ends March 31, so register your classroom/squadron team now. 

STEM Kit program update: AEM STEM Kit

requests to be paused beginning April 1

AE Leaders:

As a reminder, we will be pausing the fulfillment of STEM kit requests for AEMs beginning April 1, with plans to resume August 1, 2025.

What is the rationale behind this pause?

The challenge we face every year is limited funding, and we anticipate another record year for requests which we will be unable to fully fulfill. By pausing on April 1, we aim to conserve inventory during a period of generally lower demand.

How will this affect you?

This pause will only impact AEMs. All AEOs and Commanders will continue to have the ability to request STEM kits for their squadrons during this timeframe.

How can you help?

AEOs, please help facilitate communication by discussing this with your AEMs and being prepared to address any questions they may have.

If you have any further inquiries regarding this announcement, please do not hesitate to contact us. We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding during this period and look forward to working with you to inspire the next generation of aerospace enthusiasts. 



Very Respectfully,

The Stem Kit Committee

National CAP High-Altitude Balloon Challenge for Cadets registration opens April 1

Congratulations, again, to the GLR-OH-131 Cuyahoga County Cadet Squadron, the 2024 winner of the Col Joe Kittinger Cup and $5,000 prize from Mrs. Kittinger in the national CAP AE High-Altitude Balloon Challenge for Cadets. 

If you missed the notice last month, it is time now to prepare to register for the 2025 HABC! The registration link will open on April 1 and will close on May 11. HABC team boxes will be shipped to the teams by May 16. Any squadron who is planning to have a team this year can begin researching the best science experiment for their test tube. 

The HABC webpage and guidance will be updated with 2025 information by the April 1 registration date opening. One significant change this year is a longer time period to analyze the experiment data after the August balloon launch. 

SAVE the DATES: April 1 – May 11 HABC Registration. 

Teachers: It's time to take flight with Civil Air Patrol

CAP members who are educators are eligible for one TOP flight per fiscal year. With the approach of spring, NOW is a great time for teachers to fly over their schools and communities!

Teachers, to request a flight, contact your state’s volunteer Director of Aerospace Education (DAE) as found on the list HERE. Provide your CAP ID#, the city where you live, and your cell number to help them coordinate with their Operations team to get you a plane and pilot at an airport near you -- to get you into the air!

After a pre-flight briefing, teachers can try out the controls and fly the plane. The pilot can then come visit the classroom to carry on the experience. 

• Teachers, get your certificate signed by your pilot and do not forget to complete the easy online evaluation afterward.
•  Share some good photos with your pilot to ae@capnhq.gov and you may be featured on our @CAPaerospace Facebook page! 

Wing DAEs, please note that the FY25 funds are loaded and ready for TOP flight coordination.  

Aerospace Education Excellence (AEX) Program

AEX Award registration for squadrons and AEMs:  

There is still time to make sure your squadron or classroom applies for the 2024-2025 AEX Award program in eServices. AEX program activities should take place from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 each year. Activities and resources are available in eServices, Or you may use your own activities or lessons from a like-minded STEM education organization.

To learn more about the AEX Program, click the link below.

News and Events

CAP AEROSPACE EDUCATION SOCIAL MEDIA

(Welcome to AE Safety Check! These safety nuggets are things to think about as you lead or participate in an Aerospace Education activity. The writer of this monthly feature is Lt. Col. Karen Cooper, National AE Manager, who works in safety and risk management on the AE National Headquarters Staff and is also the Northeast Region DCS/Aerospace Education.)

If you have a safety topic you would like to be included in this space, please email kcooper@ner.cap.gov.

Skywatchers have marked late night March 13 and early morning March 14 on the calendar for a total lunar eclipse.  A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth and Moon align, and the Moon passes into the Earth's shadow and appears reddish. A total lunar eclipse (when the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of the Earth's shadow) will be visible in North America. If you are wanting to extend the study of the Moon with cadets and students, several CAP lessons focus on the Moon. One example - for younger students - is this lesson (updated from a previously featured version). Students will identify shapes of the Moon, place the Moon phases in order, and learn why the Moon looks different at different times of the month. These learning opportunities are provided by a fun activity with chocolate/vanilla cream sandwich cookies! This lesson is Grade 2 Academic Lesson #6 in the Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) Grade 2 Guide. Or find it here or at the link below. ACE registration will close for the 2024-2025 school year March 31. ACE is CAP's K-6 grade-specific STEM program.

Each month, this space features important highlights or answers to frequently asked questions. Here are four things you need to know as an AEM or AEO.

Are you a newly appointed Aerospace Education Officer? Congratulations! Check out this list of tips on how to get started and how to find help. Click the button to learn more.

Sign into eServices and click on your name in the top right-hand corner. Update your email address, mailing address, contact numbers, etc. This ensures you receive timely and pertinent information from CAP. If you are a teacher, ensure your primary email address is your home and your secondary email address is your school so that your annual renewal email and any other important information will not end up as spam in your school email account.

All Aerospace Education Members (AEMs) are offered an annual FREE “in-kind renewal." The online renewal email is sent 60 days prior to the membership expiration date. A renewal banner appears at the top of the eServices sign-in page 90 days prior to expiring. (You can’t renew earlier than 90 days.) Find additional information at the link below.

AEOs, reach out to your AEMs whose memberships expire within 60 days or whose memberships have expired. For more guidance, see Recruiting and Retention of AEMs on the AEO Resources page link below.

Please note: CAP has several categories of membership, but each member can only be assigned one category of membership. Any adult uniformed member, who is an educator, may access all the resources available to an AEM. 

Civil Air Patrol Aerospace Education

Contact: Aerospace Education

https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/ae