DAYTON, Ohio — The National Aviation Hall of Fame is seeking entries for its 32nd Annual A. Scott Crossfield Aerospace Education Teacher of the Year Award, which includes a $1,500 cash stipend.
Deadline for submissions is June 10, 2018.
Founded in 1986 by famed research test pilot, the late A. Scott Crossfield, the award is a juried competition open to classroom teachers from grades kindergarten through 12th from any public, private, parochial or charter school. Nominees can also be teachers in a non-traditional teaching setting.
Nominations will be examined by a review committee of aerospace and education professionals for documentation of a teacher’s effectiveness, creativity, and ability to maintain high standards for their students and themselves with aerospace being the core subject matter or their curricula.
Scott Crossfield (1921-2006) was inducted into the NAHF in 1983 in recognition of his contributions as a naval aviator, aerospace engineer and test pilot. He was the first man to successfully fly at speeds above Mach 2 and Mach 3; the first man to fly the X-15; and contributed to the safety of manned spaceflight, among many other achievements.
He established the award to recognize dedicated and talented aerospace educators who set high standards for students and demand excellence in performance, strive to improve their personal academic competence and teaching ability, perform their teaching duties in an exemplary manner, resulting in true learning by students, demonstrate creativity in developing and utilizing materials to enhance the teaching of aerospace, maximize student involvement and gear activities to improve learning, or create or have developed a one-time project or program of such significance that it has a major impact on the teaching of aerospace education.
The Crossfield Aerospace Educator of the Year will receive their award on Sept. 27 at the National Air & Space Museum.
The 2017 Teacher of the Year was Velvet Thomas, a third-grade teacher in Canyon County, California, who is celebrated for her hands-on approach to aviation education. Her non-traditional lessons have included taking students to watch the space shuttle re-enter the atmosphere and visiting the Sage Planetarium.