January 2021
Happy New Year! We are jumping into 2021 with important announcements and reminders.

CAP AE recently announced a new initiative: 'CAP Goes to the Moon.' All CAP members will have the chance to have their names flown to and placed on the moon. Find out how in this month's newsletter.

Another announcement focuses on National AEO School. As you are marking your new 2021 calendars, please save an important date in June, virtual National AEO School will be June 4-5.

Also this month, see a reminder of CAP's new Adopt-a-Classroom program to connect CAP squadrons to local 6th-grade teachers.

A new monthly feature in the newsletter on an important topic, AE Safety Check, continues for its second installment. Let us know if you have topics you would like to see covered.

The member stories this month feature an AEO and AEM who are inspiring youth, even in the midst of a pandemic. This edition marks one year since the newsletter was created. We thank you for reading and continue to hope you will reach out to us at ae@capnhq.gov with member stories and other topics you would like to see covered.

Best wishes for a safe, healthy and Happy New Year to all!

THIS MONTH: Member stories - Program updates - AE Safety Check -
Curriculum - Events - Important things to know
PROGRAM UPDATES
CAP introduces Adopt-a-Classroom Program
CAP’s new Adopt-a-Classroom program is gaining momentum in an exciting way! Squadrons are reaching out to local 5th-8th grade classrooms to “adopt” a class for the rest of this year. With the requirements to teach a minimum of three lessons, collaborations are happening in-person and virtually! All programs and materials are FREE to teachers! Teachers, if you are interested in being adopted, contact adopt@capnhq.gov. View introductory video here. To find out more, click the link below.
New AE Initiative: 'CAP Goes to the Moon'
All CAP members have the chance to have their names flown to and placed on the moon via the Peregrine Lunar Lander being built by Astrobotic of Pittsburgh, which will touch down on the lunar surface's Lacus Mortis region later this year. This is all thanks to the Virginia Wing and its Lt. Paul Douglas, the Burke Composite Squadron’s AE Officer, who coordinated with Cornell University on this project. Cornell will use electron beam lithography to place the names of interested members on a postage stamp-sized chip.

Directions to “opt in” to have your name included (by close of business January 28) are to go to your account in the top right corner in eServices, click on General Information, and scroll down to “Third Parties.” To ensure your name is included, the box beside “Make My Information Private” should NOT be checked. (To “opt out,” that box needs to be checked.) If you wish to ‘opt out’ of your information being shared with CAP authorized third parties, such as this approved event, just go back in and revert your selection after February 1. Questions? Contact ae@capnhq.gov.
 
Just imagine that one day soon you could be able to look up at the moon and say “my name is up there.”  
Aerospace Connections in Education Program
Registration is still open for CAP's K-6 Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) program. Are YOU a Face of ACE this year? If not, contact ace@capnhq.gov. Learn more about the program at the link below. 
The AEM application has a new look!
Please use the updated AEM application when recruiting new AEMs. The old application may be used through March 31, 2021. After that date, only the new application will be accepted by membership services. Members may now indicate the CAP Member Recruiter on all AEM applications.

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.)
ALWAYS USE THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB
Using the right tool makes the task simpler and safer, but for some, the rush to get the job done “right now” vs. “right” ends in preventable injuries and could turn a simple task into a trip to the emergency room. Have you ever heard about someone who used a knife instead of a screwdriver, used a chair (especially one with wheels) when they should be using a ladder, etc.? When you are preparing for an AE activity, take the time to gather all of the right tools for that activity. You will be glad you did.
If you have a safety topic you would like to be included in this space, please email kcooper@ner.cap.gov.
AEO STORY
New Mexico AEO enjoys sharing his lifelong enthusiasm for Aerospace Education with youth
Meet Capt. Rene Larricq of New Mexico Wing. He is the Aerospace Education Officer of Albuquerque Heights Composite Squadron, SWR-NM-083. He also serves as Internal Wing Director of Aerospace Education for New Mexico. He and his son joined Civil Air Patrol together in 1999. His AE interest began when he took his first ride in a jet in 1965. Now involved with the New Mexico Wing glider program, he helps with the New Mexico Wing Glider Encampment and with cadet orientation rides. He’s had a passion for aerospace his whole life and enjoys sharing that enthusiasm with youth. After COVID-19 led to remote meetings, his squadron pioneered the Wing’s Zoom meetings. Another initiative he has developed is his AeroMail emails that detail interesting AE topics. He freely shares AeroMail entries with fellow CAP members. Click the link below to read the full story.
"I bring in people within the aerospace community to talk to the cadets about their fields and hopefully give them a spark that might lead them down the AE path for life."
-- Capt. Rene Larricq, New Mexico Wing
AEM STORY
Minnesota AEM gives her elementary students
tools to solve real-world problems, build confidence
Meet Kate Watson, a teacher on special assignment at a Title I elementary magnet school in Minnesota. She has been an educator for 17 years and chose this career in order to innovate in the classroom. She enjoys helping her young learners navigate the world around them. “I know that having opportunities that provide the use of inquiry, asking questions, seeking answers, fostering creativity, teamwork and STEM is what is best for all our students,” she says. “Giving students lifelong tools to solve problems, especially real-world problems at any age, builds pride and confidence. ” Her current role is Curriculum Integration Coordinator for the school, and she is also the school coordinator for implementing Civil Air Patrol’s Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) Program.
Click the link below to read her story.
"Kids are brilliant, and allowing them to have more open-ended and hands-on experiences and opportunities lets that brilliance shine. "
-- Kate Watson, Minnesota AEM
CURRICULUM
Kathryn Sullivan
In 1984, Kathryn Sullivan (pictured, left, with astronaut Sally Ride) became the first American woman to perform a space walk. In this lesson from Civil Air Patrol AE's new Women in Aviation II booklet, students will learn about Sullivan's life and build a highly detailed model of the Hubble Space Telescope. Sullivan's second of three space missions was STS-31 Discovery, which launched the Hubble into low Earth orbit in 1990. Lesson references include NASA's Earth as Art app for iOS devices. "Kathryn Sullivan" is Chapter 11 in the booklet. (Ride is also featured in the booklet). Or click the link below.
Events.
2021 NATIONAL AEO SCHOOL

Save the date! The National AEO School will be virtual this year, meeting June 4-5. Additional information will be available soon. Please check the link below for updated information as it becomes available.
Each month, this space features important highlights or answers to frequently asked questions. Here are two things you need to know now as an AEM or AEO.
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!