|
We hope the school year has gotten off to a great start for our squadrons and educators
Two school programs, Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) and ACE Plus, have kicked off registration, and it continues in September. The details are below.
Many of our squadrons are busy with research and analysis after sending experiments to near space via CAP's High-Altitude Balloon Challenge. In August, three balloons carrying the work of more than 100 squadrons were launched in Indiana (pictured). Read more in this newsletter.
Sept. 30 marks the end of Fiscal Year 2025, and next month, the STEM Kit program will be launching some updates in the application and evaluation process designed to better serve our members. Keep reading to find out more. Also this month, learn more about the TOP Flight program, which takes teachers out of the classroom and into the sky.
This newsletter issue also has announcements about the following:
- The Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) offers several STEM opportunities with deadlines approaching.
- New CAP co-coordinators have been named for NASA partnerships.
- For AEOs, National AEO School is now available online in Absorb LMS.
- U.S. Space Force Guardians are available for virtual classroom visits.
If you have story ideas for the October newsletter, please reach out to us at ae@capnhq.gov. We would love to hear from you!
| | |
THIS MONTH: Program updates - AE Safety Check -
News and Events - Curriculum
| | |
PROGRAM UPDATES
2025-2026 ACE registration continues
| | |
School has started,
But something's not right.
You can fix it
By going to this site.
Click on the link
To register for ACE.
We need you this year
And your smiling FACE!
Register at the link below:
If you need help, email smercer@capnhq.gov
Hope to see your FACE soon!
Sue Mercer
ACE Program Manager
| | ACE Plus program connects squadrons, classrooms; registration continues | | |
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 into the classroom to teach ACE and other aerospace/STEM lessons!
To find out how amazing this collaborative program can be for teachers and CAP squadrons, read about the National ACE Plus Collaborative Teams of the Year!
Interested teachers can complete the top of the Request to Collaborate Form and send to their state’s 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.
| | |
STEM Kit Program application
and evaluation updates set to start Oct. 1
| | |
We’re excited to announce some important updates to our STEM kit application and evaluation process—designed to better serve our members!
Application Improvements
We’ve streamlined the application by removing some questions and adding new ones that help us better understand and support your needs.
Evaluation Changes
We’re no longer collecting pre- and post-test data. Instead, we’re focusing on what matters most — your satisfaction with the kit and curriculum.
Walkthrough Video Coming Soon
To help you navigate the new application, we’ll be releasing a short video guide. Stay tuned!
Effective Oct. 1
These changes will officially take effect on Oct. 1; so, please plan accordingly.
Thank you for being part of our STEM community. These updates are just one way we’re working to make your experience even better. If you have any questions, please reach out to STEM@capnhq.gov.
| | Educators, take a flight out of the classroom and into the sky with CAP | | |
Any CAP member who is a formal or informal educator, whether in a squadron or not, is eligible for one TOP flight per fiscal year.
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 in our publications.
| | |
Air & Space Forces Association
STEM opportunities available now
| | As a STEM education partner with the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA), CAP is proud to promote three current opportunities the AFA provides our educator members and our squadrons. | | |
EMPOWERING EDUCATORS TO INSPIRE GRANTS:
K-12 classroom educators can apply for classroom STEM enrichment grants in amounts of up to $600.
- The grant application process is open between Sept. 1 and Dec. 15.
- Applicants will be notified if their grant proposal was selected by the end of February.
Read grant guidelines, requirements, and scoring rubric to be used in competitive selection process, HERE
| | |
MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL CYBERPATRIOT
Registration for CyberPatriot 18 closes Oct. 1, with team roster not due until Oct. 22 (Training round concludes Oct. 22 as well.)
-
Payment is due by Nov. 5 --- but CAP Squadron teams do not have to pay a registration fee due to CAP’s agreement with the AFA.
- When a CAP high school squadron team registers for the All-Service Division, CAP is identified. Each team should ensure that the region-wing-and squadron number is clear alongside the team’s “competition name.”
- When a CAP middle school squadron team registers for the Middle School Division, there is NO way to identify as a CAP squadron unless CAP is included with the region-wing-squadron number and squadron name. *** Do not forget to include CAP beside the squadron designator.
- A single coach can register up to 5 teams if there are enough youth to fill those extra teams.
-
Read everything about registering a team, inserting team member names, and identifying a mentor HERE.
| | |
MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STELLARXPLORERS
Registration for the StellarXplorers 10 competition closes Oct. 15, with team roster not due until Oct. 23.
.
-
Don’t know much about StellarXplorers? Read an overview HERE.
- CAP squadron teams have their membership fees waived.
- There is NO way to identify a team as a CAP team, so do not forget to include CAP beside the squadron designator when registering.
| | |
CURRICULUM SPOTLIGHT
Glide and Step
| | |
Educators, registration for Civil Air Patrol's Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) Program continues after opening last month. ACE is a K-6 grade-specific STEM program. This month we spotlight one of the detailed step-by-step lessons available to ACE program teachers. Each educator who registers for ACE receives a class set of the grade-specific manipulatives, such as the Balsa Glider for Grade 1 (pictured). Our ACE Grade 1 sample lesson, Glide and Step, uses this glider to teach students math concepts. First-graders will fly their glider and measure its flight. As a member, even if you are not an ACE participant, you have access to download CAP's ACE Guides for every grade in eServices. Click the link below to view this lesson.
| | (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, who works in safety and risk management on the AE National Headquarters Staff and is also the Northeast Region DCS/Aerospace Education.) | | |
"IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING"
You have heard more than once that everyone is a safety officer – and that comes from the fact that the more eyes that are keeping watch for safety, the better. But what do you do if you do see something? Yes, you need to report it to whomever is running the AE class or the AE activity, but there is something before that. CAP empowers all members to speak up regardless of rank/grade or duty position — “if you see something, say something”—and to call “knock it off” without needing permission. Do this as soon as you suspect that there is a safety issue. If it is a safety issue, then you may have prevented someone from getting hurt or having major equipment damage (or both). If it turns out that it is not safety, then you did the right thing by bringing it to everyone’s attention. By the way, if you hear someone saying “knock it off” – don’t ignore it. Act accordingly.
| | If you have a safety topic you would like to be included in this space, please email kcooper@ner.cap.gov. | | CAP launches high-altitude balloons in Indiana Wing | | |
Civil Air Patrol’s fifth annual launch day for the national Aerospace Education High-Altitude Balloon Challenge soared to success on Aug. 2. Three weather balloons climbed as high as 88,000 feet into the stratosphere, carrying payloads with nearly 200 cadet-designed experiments from 105 squadrons across 42 wings.
Cadet teams are now analyzing their experiments and preparing end-of-Challenge science reports and documentary videos. Meanwhile, Indiana Wing made launch day even more impactful by conducting a SAREX, with cadets tracking live data, coordinating recovery efforts, and retrieving payloads. (Pictured: Indiana Wing Commander, Col. Jamie Griffith, works with cadets as they prepare to launch the balloons.)
Read more by clicking the link below.
| | Invite the U.S. Space Force Guardians to speak to classrooms, groups and squadrons | | |
For any educators and AE officers who would like to schedule a STEMtoSpace Classroom Connection virtual visit from a U.S. Space Force (USSF) Guardian in the coming months, registration is now open! (Limited in-person visits can be coordinated as locale permits.)
-
STEMtoSpace is an annual “USAF birthday celebration” event coordinated by the Air & Space STEM Outreach office.
- One-to-one Guardian and youth group assignments will be made for a 20-30 minute presentation session.
- During this visit, the Guardian will explain to youth what the USSF does and the many career opportunities within the USSF.
- Most presentations will be virtual, except where there is a local Guardian who can accommodate an in-person meeting.
- If a small group of students or CAP squadron group is going to request this classroom connection visit, the more students involved the better chance of being assigned a speaker. So, it would be good to combine several groups to have at least 25 youth in attendance.
| | |
New CAP co-coordinators
named for NASA partnerships
| | |
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Col. William “Nick” Ham and Capt. Shannon Babb as our new National CAP/NASA Co-Coordinators. Recognizing the critical importance of the collaboration with NASA and the mutually beneficial missions that advance both organizations' objectives, CAP leadership has implemented an innovative dual-coordinator structure to ensure comprehensive member support and enhanced management of our NASA missions and activities.
Col. Ham and Capt. Babb bring valuable experience and complementary expertise to these vital leadership roles. Together, they will work with NHQ to support the strategic direction of CAP's NASA collaboration and mission operations and guide volunteers across all levels of the CAP/NASA program. This enhanced leadership structure positions CAP to better serve NASA's mission requirements while providing exceptional support to our dedicated members who make this important collaboration possible.
Capt. Babb is a professional scientist and educator who also serves as the Rocky Mountain Region's Deputy Chief of Staff for Aerospace Education. In 2019, Capt. Babb proposed that Utah Wing host a Solar Eclipse activity, which eventually grew into the CAP/NASA Mission Program. She served as the mission director for the first three CAP/NASA Missions (2023 Solar Eclipse, 2024 Solar Eclipse, and 2025 Aviation Weather). "I look forward to mentoring the next cohort of mission directors as we take the CAP/NASA Mission program to new heights," she said.
Col. Ham is the Pacific Region Deputy Chief of Staff/Aerospace Education, Oregon Wing Deputy Director of Operation, and Oregon Wing Deputy Director - Government Relations. Ham, a former Oregon Wing Commander, is honored to take the position and serve with Capt. Babb. "We have an opportunity to expand the opportunities to cadets with engaging citizen science activities," he said. "We also open the opportunity to expand the senior members' activities to a true three-mission program while offering real-time aviation safety, pre-disaster surveys and improved post-disaster recovery, and allowing members to be part of scientific discoveries. This is exciting, and for me to be here at the point CAP is expanding this program is such an honor."
Also supporting the CAP/NASA collaboration are newly appointed Aurora Watch Mission leaders: Major Peter Leet as Aurora Watch Mission Area Commander and Major Julie DeVries as Aurora Watch Mission Director. Both have been dedicated participants in the Aurora Watch Mission since its inception and bring invaluable experience and expertise to their new leadership roles.
| | National AEO School course available online | |
For AEOs, the 2025 National AEO School is now available online in Absorb. The school, held on site in Dayton, Ohio, in June, had a theme of “Empowering Excellence: Mastering Skills and Resources for Success.” The online version is a self-paced, virtual course designed for Civil Air Patrol's Aerospace Education Officers (AEOs) who were unable to attend the in-person National AEO School 2025. Through a series of video presentations, interactive activities, and leader insights, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the AEO role and develop the skills needed to lead a successful and sustainable AE program. This course will cover topics from mindset and communication to program administration, awards, and leveraging national resources. Upon successful completion, participants will receive credit for attending a National AEO School. The school aims to empower AE leaders by equipping them with essential skills and guiding them through available resources.
To access the course, go to eServices > Online Learning > Absorb LMS. Or click the link below.
| | | | |
