September 2021
When the calendar rolls to September, a new school year is underway. For AEOs, the end of September also signals the close of one CAP fiscal year and the beginning of another on Oct. 1.

For AEOs and AEMs, it's the perfect time to become involved in CAP's Adopt-a-Classroom program. The program connects CAP squadrons with 5th- through 8th-grade teachers.

It's also time to complete the AEX Program and Squadron AE Achievement Award tasks. Find out more about all these programs in this newsletter.

Our member stories this month highlight members from California and Indiana Wings. If you know of other inspiring member stories, we hope you will reach out to us at ae@capnhq.gov. Your story could be the next one told!
THIS MONTH: Member stories - Program updates - Events - AE Safety Check - Curriculum - Important things to know
PROGRAM UPDATES
CAP's Adopt-a-Classroom Program is open
Any 5th- through 8th-grade teacher involved in the ACE program can request to be adopted by a local CAP squadron. Adults and cadets will assist in teaching a minimum of three lessons to students while cadets also share the benefits of the Cadet Program. Title I schools are the focus group for this program, but any school classroom is eligible! All materials and support are free to teachers and the squadrons. A guide for teachers is found HERE. A guide for squadrons is found HERE.
 
  • Whether in person or virtually, CAP squadrons can connect with and help introduce STEM concepts and careers to students!
 
  • Any interested teacher should reach out to their state’s CAP Director of Aerospace Education to be connected with a squadron (see state list HERE).
 
Find out more at the Adopt-a-Classroom page at the link below.
Aerospace Education Excellence (AEX) Program
AEX Award registration and completion for Squadrons and AEMs: Has your squadron or classroom completed the 2020-2021 AEX Award Program in eServices? Also, now is the perfect time to register for the 2021-2022 AEX Program. AEX activities should take place from Oct. 1-Sept. 30 each year. During COVID-related restrictions on in-person meetings, virtual meetings using any AEX activities or virtual conferences and/or field trips can be used to complete the requirements. Suggested activities and resources are available in eServices,   AE Downloads and Resources, and on the AE website, Lessons and Activity Videos and Aerospace/STEM Resources. If you have ideas you wish to share, please send to aex@capnhq.gov.

To learn more about the AEX Program, click the link below.
Squadron AE Achievement Award
AE Achievement Award recognizes squadrons for AE mission accomplishments: 
Hopefully you have already heard the news that will assist squadrons in achieving this year’s AE Achievement Award. Due to COVID, squadrons only need to complete six of the criteria as opposed to eight. The first four tasks are still required, and squadrons may select any other two from the AE internal and external task areas.
 
The Squadron AE Achievement Award identifies squadrons that successfully perform specific criteria listed in CAPR 50-1. Recipients of this award demonstrate the importance they place on accomplishing the AE mission. Squadrons still have a few weeks to achieve this award and receive the certificate that accompanies it. For additional information, visit the link below.
News and Events
Launch date arrives for Arizona Wing CAP member
September 15 is the scheduled launch date for the privately funded Inspiration4 flight aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. Maj. Sian Proctor, assistant director of aerospace education for the Arizona Wing, will be the mission pilot.

Maj. Proctor (pictured), is also a member of the Arizona Wing's Sky Harbor Composite Squadron. The five-hour launch window opens at 8 p.m. EDT Sept. 15. Watch the launch on the SpaceX YouTube channel or NetFlix. Read more about Maj. Proctor at the CAP.News link below.
Last spring at the 2021 SUN 'n FUN Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida, Lt. Col. Gary Dahlke, assistant director of aerospace education for the Florida Wing, was interviewed by the Florida Aviation Network. Watch the video to learn about Lt. Col. Dahlke's Air Force, CAP and aerospace industry careers. Spoiler alert: he worked on the Space Shuttle program.

AE Safety Check
(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, who works in safety and risk management on the AE National Headquarters Staff and is also the Northeast Region Assistant DCS/Aerospace Education.)
AE SAFETY BRIEFING MATERIAL AVAILABLE
Anyone who has ever run a CAP AE class, event, or weekend, has given a safety briefing prior to the activity starting, and sometimes there is even a follow up at the end with reminders about how to properly store and/or dispose of the supplies associated with the activity. Did you know that there is safety briefing material on the National AE portion of the website to assist you? There are briefings on X-acto knives, lithium batteries, hot glue guns, quadcopters/drones, Superglue (instant-bond glue) and others. Find them at the link below. Many of these ideas came from members running CAP AE events. Please keep in mind that these general safety briefings may need to be expanded due to guidance from your unit commander, unit safety officer, or local laws and ordinances. However, they are a great way to start!

Here is where we could use your input -- which safety briefings have you needed to give most often? Which ones do you wish you knew more about? And which ones would you like to suggest to help protect your fellow CAP members? Please send your recommendations and suggestions to kcooper@ner.cap.gov. It could be the next one we develop!
If you have a safety topic you would like to be included in this space, please email kcooper@ner.cap.gov.
AEO STORY
California AEO, a middle school science teacher,
helps youth pursue careers in STEM fields
Meet Senior Member Denise Whelchel. She is the AEO of Cable Composite Squadron 25 (PCR-CA-193) in Upland, California. She is a middle school science teacher and learned about Civil Air Patrol years ago from one of her students who is a cadet. Although she has been a CAP member for less than a year, she has been active in CAP, participating in several programs including the STEM Kit Program and Adopt-a-Classroom. Her squadron also is competing in this summer's National High Altitude Balloon Challenge (pictured). She holds a private pilot's license and is a former air traffic controller with the California Air National Guard. She is focused on helping the youth she leads embark on STEM careers. "Seeing my students and cadets excited about aerospace education is very rewarding," she says, "but even more rewarding is knowing my students are headed to the best colleges in the country to study aeronautics, engineering and science." She's recently had students graduate from some of the country's most prestigious universities. "Their successes are my successes," she says. Click the link below to read the full story.
"Keep cadets engaged by sharing your expertise and lifelong experiences in aerospace. Let them know that perseverance pays off."
-- Senior Member Denise Whelchel, an AEO in California Wing
AEM STORY
Indiana AEM, 2021 National CAP AE Teacher of the Year, stresses 'learning by doing' in science classes
Meet Patrick D. Carter, a physics teacher from Evansville, Indiana, who recently retired from a 37-year career as an educator. He is the 2021 National CAP Aerospace Education Teacher of the Year. Once a self-described "class clown," he credits "amazing," lab-focused high school science teachers for turning him into a student who thrived on as many science labs as he could get his hands on. He has taken that enthusiasm and passed it on to his own students, who have also enjoyed learning by doing. "My favorite words to hear in class are, 'This is hard, but I’ve learned so much,'” he says. "I’ve been blessed to have so many students who have excelled in both science and engineering." Carter says. "Teaching is like breathing to me; I have to do it."  He continually looks for inspirations for his classes from such places as movies, driving, sports, animals and more. "Teaching is my core being," he says. "I love what I do, and I do what I love." 
"The Teacher Orientation Program flight was the most rewarding CAP experience -- being up in the air, taking control of an aircraft and then learning how to control the aircraft. It was incredible!"
-- Patrick D. Carter, Virginia AEM
CURRICULUM
Build a Radio-Controlled Mars Rover
In this lesson, students will build a replica of the Mars Spirit Rover (pictured: artist's rendering of Spirit), powered using the running chassis of a radio-controlled model race car. The lesson, which can also be used in conferences and workshops, is found as Activity Thirteen in CAP's AEX II (2020) workbook. Click the link below to view the lesson.
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.
You can update your eServices profile information. Here's how:
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.
AEMs: Is it time to renew your membership?
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. Thinking that due to the pandemic you cannot participate in CAP’s AE programs? That may be partly true, but when we get back to “normal,” you will wish you kept your membership current, so do not let it expire!
AEOs: Reach out to AEMs whose memberships expire soon
AEOs, this is the perfect time to 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. And, we wish to encourage our AEMs to “hang on” until the end of the pandemic and continue renewing their membership. Once things are back to “normal,” they will be glad they did!