March 2020
To our Aerospace Education Officers and Aerospace Education Members, thank you. Millions of parents and guardians have suddenly become the only in-person educators their youth see daily. COVID-19 has halted on-site school and youth meetings around the country. Many adults have renewed appreciation for all that cadet leaders and educators do for their children and their families.

CAP's Aerospace Education team will provide information and tools to help you keep your cadets and students engaged in aviation/space/cyber lessons and activities. Many resources are already available on our website and social media platforms, and we will be providing more. A new CAP/AE webpage has been launched to reflect  Aerospace/STEM Resources for Home Education , which will be updated regularly as new sites are located.

For now, you can help by sharing lessons and educational content on your social media platforms and tagging @CAPaerospace (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). We have seen some of you sharing already. Our CAP AE community is a great resource with a wealth of knowledge to share.

For organization-wide communications, please read the Civil Air Patrol's SPECIAL BULLETINS being emailed on Thursdays (and at other times as required) on COVID-19 as a source of the most up-to-date information and direction on CAP's guidance . Maj. Gen. Mark Smith, CAP National Commander, has issued guidance on COVID-19.

This is a temporary situation. CAP asks all of its members to stay safe and take proactive steps in reducing the risk of contacting and spreading the virus.

Even while we are not learning in large physical gatherings, online learning and virtual tools will allow us to continue to excel in the Aerospace Education mission. The National Staff is working remotely, but we remain engaged and are here to help.

This publication remains a space for that virtual learning. We will highlight the people and programs of CAP's Aerospace Education mission.

The AE team hopes this newsletter, along with our website and social media platforms will continue to help keep you connected with us and with the youth and adults you serve.

If you have topics you'd like to see featured or know of members we should highlight here (and you can tell us about yourself and your youth, too) , please let us know at ae@capnhq.gov .

Be safe, and again, THANK YOU.

THIS MONTH : Member stories - Program updates
Curriculum - Region events update - Important things to know
PROGRAM UPDATES
CAP's K-6 Aerospace Connections
in Education (ACE) Program
ACE End of Year Completion: ACE teachers, even though you may not have been able to complete all the ACE lessons intended this year due to school closings, don’t forget to fill out your 2019-2020 ACE Completion Form. You can find the report at the link below. You should receive ACE certificates for you and your students no later than 3 weeks from the date you submit your completion form. Note: The template to enter your students' names is found in the Related Links section at the link below.
ACE Annual Awards:  The time to acknowledge outstanding achievement in the ACE Program is approaching quickly. ACE annual awards honor achievements in the following categories: ACE Student of the Year, ACE Teacher of the Year and ACE School of the Year. The ACE Program is not possible without the hard work and enthusiasm of its teachers and students. Be sure to get those nominations in to celebrate the stars of the program. The award submission deadline is  April 25 . For nomination forms and additional instructions, please click the link below and look in Related Links on the right menu bar.
AEO STORY
AEO has personal mission to help youth
Meet Maj. Karen A. Schultz, Aerospace Education Officer (AEO) of a senior squadron in Dahlonega, Georgia. Schultz (pictured, far right) is involved in CAP's aerospace education mission because she has a "personal mission to excite and motivate children to engage in good, worthwhile endeavors and to draw them away from destructive behaviors and things." She is a former mathematics education professor and an Experimental Aircraft Association member. Follow the link to read more.
" The most rewarding experience I’ve had was organizing TOP Flights for three teachers."
-- Maj. Karen Schultz, Georgia Wing, on coordinating flights for elementary teachers, who joined their classrooms on Facebook Live
AEM STORY
Michigan teacher credits CAP for keeping her
in the classroom
Meet Tammy Clingenpeel, an Aerospace Education Member (AEM) from Stanton, Michigan. She was drawn to CAP because of the free resources available to educators. What she has found is that her students love them as well. She participates in the AEX, ACE and STEM Kit programs. Her students learn critical thinking and problem solving skills through the lessons and activities. She credits her involvement with CAP to keeping her in the profession when she was contemplating not teaching anymore.
CURRICULUM
Katherine Cheung
March is Women's History Month. This featured lesson is from Civil Air Patrol's booklet Women in Aviation Volume 1. The booklet highlights women's contributions to flight. Each lesson tells the aviator's story, provides a model aircraft for building and offers discussion ideas and other activities to enhance the lessons. Chapter Five features Katherine Cheung, the first woman Asian-American pilot in the U.S.
Region and Wing Events
SOUTHWEST REGION:
The Southwest Region Aerospace Education Officer (AEO) School, previously set for April 23-24 in Dallas, Texas, has been postponed. A new date and venue will be announced at a later date. The previously announced date fell within the timeframe for restricted meeting and travel within CAP due to COVID-19. (View the complete National Commander's memorandum here). For additional information about the SWR AEO School, contact avural@cap.gov .

GREAT LAKES REGION
Save the date. The Great Lakes Region Aerospace Education Officer (AEO) School will be July 20-24 at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. The school is open to AEMs as well. Registration procedures and fee information will be available soon. For additional information, contact  froldan@cap.gov

If you have Region or Wing events to share in this space, please contact a e@capnhq.gov .
Each month, this space features important highlights or answers to frequently asked questions. Here are three things you need to know now as an AEM or AEO.
Take a virtual field trip
With the ease of a click, trips to museums, industries and other educational destinations are increasingly possible. This ability is especially important during the current halt on school and cadet gatherings and field trips. For instance, NASA's Commercial Crew Program offers a number of virtual trips . A quick internet search of virtual field trips will provide many more ideas. Follow the below link to a sampling of some trips.
Registration is open for 2020 National AEO School
Registration is open for National Aerospace Education Officers School June 15-19 at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. AEOs and AEMs are invited. The event features hands-on activities, field trips and the opportunity to network. Course work for AEOs begins Day 1, June 15. Sessions for AEOs and AEMs begin June 16. To see a video of last year's school and get more information, please follow the link below.
AEMs get an online renewal email 60 days before membership expires; renewal is FREE but required to maintain active status

  • Aerospace Education Members (AEMs) are offered an annual FREE “in-kind renewal.” We simply ask our AEMs to identify the CAP AE products or programs they plan to utilize during the next year of membership. 
  • The online renewal email is sent 60 days prior to the membership expiration date and, if no response, the email is sent again 30 days before the membership expires. A renewal banner appears at the top of the eServices sign-in page 90 days prior to expiration. 
  • Once AEM membership expires, the online renewal link will not work. 
  • It would be helpful to have a secondary email to ensure AEMs receive the free renewal.
  • AEMs can update their personal information in eServices under “My Account."
  • AEOs/DAEs can assist their AEMs by sending a reminder when it’s time to renew.

For more information, click the link below.