Grayhawk Elementary hosts Civil Air Patrol flyover Tuesday, Oct. 15
Staff Reports | Community Updates
Civil Air Patrol’s 2024-25 National CAP ACE Liftoff event will be conducted at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15 at Grayhawk Elementary School, 7525 E. Grayhawk Drive in Scottsdale.
The school will be honored as the 2024 National CAP ACE School of the Year, with Grayhawk’s STEM Specialist, Michelle Lindstrom, the 2024 National CAP ACE School Coordinator of the Year, according to a press release.
These honors landed the school the privilege of being the site of this academic year’s national ACE lift-off event for over 500 schools across the country, the release states.
Principal, Eli Hubbell is expected to lead the program as the host school of the national event.
CAP’s Aerospace Connections in Education program is a K-6 multidisciplinary school educational experience that uses the aerospace theme to promote academics with a focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), character education, and physical fitness for living a healthy and drug-free lifestyle.
The program is starting its 17th year and has impacted almost 650,000 students nationwide, the release states.
Through the ACE program and other free STEM programs for K-12 teachers, Civil Air Patrol is demonstrating how teachers can inspire students toward an early interest in various aerospace-related STEM careers, helping reduce the shortage of future STEM professionals.
CAP’s Arizona wing will be providing a CAP Cessna airplane and pilot to conduct a “fly-over” during the program with two Grayhawk teachers or other district representatives aboard who will speak from the air to the students on the ground.
After the presentation of the awards, the guest speakers’ comments, and the lift-off of student-held helicopters to launch the new 2024-25 ACE program academic year, the students will begin participation in a variety of STEM activities for the special ACE/STEM day. 17 classes will rotate through activities around the school.
