The eighth grade class from Sacred Heart Academy visited the National Air and Space Center at Dulles Airport in December. This visit was part of a continuing science educational program for Sacred Heart Academy students sponsored by the Northern Shenandoah Valley Chapter of the Air Force Association and Tom Shepherd. Parents of the students drove the class to the facility. The Northern Shenandoah Valley Chapter reimbursed transportation expenses to the parents because the school does not have a bus.

Upon arrival, they were met by a member of the museum staff and their docent for the day, Colonel Buzz Carpenter, USAF (Ret.). Carpenter has over 700 hours in the SR-71, the featured exhibit at the museum. After a guided tour of the entire museum, the students ate a quick lunch and then settled into a classroom for a discussion period on the Wright Brothers. Later, every student had a turn at flying the Wright Brothers aircraft in the lab.

The chapter has been providing assistance to Sacred Heart Academy for the past year. That assistance has been over $6,000 to purchase science equipment and teaching materials for the science department.

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