Prior AFA Grant Recipients

2024 Educator Grant Recipients

Christina Adamson
Tri County Middle School Howard City, MI
Project: Making Our Way with Makey Makey

Allison Bogart
Stonecreek Junior High Bakersfield, CA
Project: Drones to the Rescue

Brindy Branneky
Lake Pointe Academy Clermont, FL
Project: Seeing What Cannot Be Seen

Chris Brown
Glandorf Elementary Glandorfo, OH
Project: Launching Dreams: An Exploration of Jr. High Physics Through Rocketry

Miranda Bryant
The Summit Preparatory School Springfield, MO
Project: Hands-On Coding & Robotics for Young Innovators

Mary Lou Cordray
Baptist Hill Middle High School Hollywood, SC
Project: The Effects of Space Travel on the Human Body

Pamela Elkins
Fuquay-Varina Middle School Fuquay-Varina, NC
Project: Flight of My Future

Heather Faulk
River Valley School District Blairsville, PA
Project: Finch Robots for Python Learners

Michael Frank
Duncan Polytechnical HS Fresno, CA
Project: Flying Right with the Right Stuff

Ufuk Balci
Pioneer Academy Wayne, NJ
Project: Project HAB

John Conway
O’Hara Catholic School Eugene, OR
Project: Robotics Electives and After-School Club

Kala Grice-Dobbins
Madison County Career Tech Center Huntsville, AL
Project: Coding to the Future

Kari Gunsalus
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Colorado River Bullhead City, AZ
Project: Science Mania

Molly Hooper
International Prep Academy Champaign, IL
Project: Lego Education in STEAM

Cynthia Hopkins
Kaffie Middle School Corpus Christi, TX
Project: Launch into Space

Thitiya Karamooz
Keller Middle School Las Vegas, NV
Project: Soaring STEM: Navigating Knowledge Through Aviation

Tianyou Lee
Mills High School Millbrae, CA
Project: The Boba Bots 253 Build Season

Tracy Lyles
James Island Charter High School Charleston, SC
Project: Learning Science Through Story-Line Themes

Rob Lynch
Heritage Middle School Chino Valley, AZ
Project: Coding Drones

Anna C. Marra
Hoboken High School Hobken, NJ
Project: Aviation and Innovation Science

April McClung
Edna & John W. Mosley P-8 Aurora, CO
Project: STEM to Aviation for First Grade

Clint Larson
O’Hara Catholic School Eugene, OR
Project: Mousetrap Car Culminating Project Expansion

Dana O’Neal
James Bowie High School Simms, TX
Project: I’ve Got the Power!

Theresa A. Paterra
Sycamore Youth Center Steubenville, OH
Project: STEM Afterschool Class

Mellissa Ann Pfaff
Academy High School Thornton, CO
Project: Newton Takes Flight

Cristina Rapeta
G Frank Davidson Elementary Phoenix, AZ
Project: Airplane Toss Station

Amy Renick
All Saints Episcopal School Beaumont, TX
Project: VEX Robotics Program

Marla Rosenthal
Discovery Elementary San Marcos, CA
Project: Soaring Over Schools

Sharon A. Schleigh
Hawai’i Technology Academy Waipahu, HI
Project: FOAD: The Future of Aircraft Designs

Katherine Smith
Kensington Creative and Performing Arts High Philadelphia, PA
Project: Operation Drone Drop

Lt. Col. Donnie Starling, USAF (Ret.)
Liberty High School Henderson, NV
Project: AFJROTC Flight Academy Prep

Dustin Strate
Umatilla Elementary School Umatilla, FL
Project: Mission Future

Diana Techentien
Christ the King Catholic School Jacksonville, FL
Project: Christ the King School Rocketry

Robert Thomas
Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School Chicago, IL
Project: Aerospace Unit

Scott Valenta
St. John the Baptist Catholic School Winfield, IL
Project: Student Satellite Hunters

Luz Maria Van Daam
Pueblo Elementary School Scottsdale, AZ
Project: Kindergarten STEM

Robyn Wallace
Seaside Neighborhood School Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Project: Enhancing STEM Education with Weather STEM

Lisa Werner
St. Bruno Parish School Dousman, WI
Project: Introduction to Programming

2023 Educator Grant Recipients

Tanya Anderson
St. Joan of Arc School
Lisle, IL
Project: Sonic Boom Air Rocket Kit

Dr. Shelly Beach
Maysville Elementary
Maysville, OK
Project: Gliders and Kites

Melissa Beyel
East Cooper Center for Advanced Studies
Mount Pleasant, SC
Project: VR Learning Lab

Brindy Branneky
Lake Pointe Academy
Clermont, FL
Project: Dash Robots

Colleen Cain
Larson Middle School
Troy, MI
Project: Microgravity Research

Tammy Clingenpeel
Fellowship Baptist Academy
Carson CIty, MI
Project: Robot Coding

Jayson Crowley
Enid High School
Enid, OK
Project: Aviation Class

Amaris Cruz
Dr. Joe Ward Elementary
San Anyonio, TX
Project: Bridge Building

Christine Danhoff
North Point Educational Service Center
Sandusky, OH
Project: Robotics Design

Robert Ferguson
Westminster High School
Westminster, CO
Project: Drone Building

Elizabeth Chantel Fortescue
Craven County Schools
New Bern, NC
Project: Coding and Robotics

R. Alan Godman
Legacy High School
Broomfield, CO
Project: Flight Aerodynamics Lab

Cesar Gonzalez
Gutierrez Middle School
Harlingen, TX
Project: Rocket Design

Hannah Hoogeveen
Casa De Oro Elementary School
Spring Valleyca, CA
Project: Rocket and Astronomy History

Madison Jackson
Pepin Academies
Tampa, FL
Project: Kennedy Space Center Visit

Tracy LaBrecque
Royal Palm Charter School
Palm Bay, FL
Project: Water Rocket Design

Dr. Monica Lee-Currie
Concord Middle IB World  School
Concord, NC
Project: 3D CAD Designing

Caroline Little
Visitation School
Mendota Heightsm, MN
Project: Moon to Mars Lessons

Melissa Marowski
Discovery Middle School
Madsion, AL
Project: Mars Farming

Heather Mason
Thomas Jefferson Middle School
Merritt Island, FL
Project: Circuitry

Katie McGuire
Pineapple Cove Classical Academy Lockmar
Palm Bay, FL
Project: Kindergarten STEM Intro

Kevin Morris
Marion County Technical Center
Farmington, WV
Project: 3D Printing Lab

Jeanne Oiler
University High School
Morgantown, WV
Project: Aerospace Exploration

Michael Olvera
Oklahoma Aviation Academy 
Norman, OK
Project: 3D Printing – Planes 

Kristina Pavlovic
Beehive Science & Technology Academy
Sandy, UT
Project: Micro Mole Rocket Kits

Melissa Pore
Bishop O’Connell High School
Arlington, VA
Project: Coding and Flying Drones

Patrice Reaves
Colfax Elementary
Colfax, NC
Project: STEM Field Day

Joseph Rigdon
Harlingen Collegiate High
Harlingen, TX
Project: Model Rockets

Craig Schafer
East Valley Parent Partnership
Spokane Valley, WA
Project: 3D Manufacturing and Design

Jennifer Scurlock
Palm Bay Schools
Panama City, FL
Project: Robotics

Anthony Snow
Okmulgee Public Schools
Okmulgee, OK
Project: Aviation Design and Maintenance

Dustin Strate
Umatilla Elementary
Umatilla, FL
Project: Rockets and Space Exploration

Tiffany Taggart
Hopkinson Elementary
Los Alamitos, CA
Project: KidzRobotix Hovercraft Racer Kits

Bob Thomas
Mother Mcauley High School
Chicago, IL
Project: Rocket Building and Testing

Monica Torres
Travis Elementary STEM Academy
Harlingen, TX
Project: STEM Challenge – Ecosystems 

Tirso Valenzuela
Berne Union High School
Sugar Grove, OH
Project: Center of Gravity Apparatus

Dr. Mary Webb
Withrow High School
Cincinnati, OH
Project: Girls STEM Workshops

Jose Zamora
Woodlake High School
Woodlake, CA
Project: Rocket Launches

2022 Educator Grant Recipients

Christina Campos
West Oso Junior High
Corpus Christi, TX
Project: mBot Robot Coding Kit

Maria Desbrow
Academic Magnet High School
North Charleston, SC
Project: Circuitry and Computing

Stephen Errickson
Pine Creek High School
Colorado Springs, CO
Project: Cybersecurity

R. Alan Godman
Legacy High School
Broomfield, CO
Project: Aerodynamics Lab

Lauran Hedenberg
Barkhamsted School
Barkhamsted, CT
Project: Makerspace/STEM Lab

Trevor T. Ivey
Liberty STEAM Charter
Sumter, SC
Project: 3D Printer

Carol Jemiolo
Apex Friendship Middle School
Apex, NC
Project: Drone Building & Flying

Shelby Joffrion
James Island Elementary School
Charleston, SC
Project: 3D Printing Workshop

Kerensa Kester
Tri County Tech
Bartlesville, OK
Project: Drones in Aviation

Trevor Macduff
Rivers Edge High School
Richland, WA
Project: Pitsco Straw Rocket Launchers

Lisa Medlyn
Arts Academy Estrella Mountain
Tolleson, AZ
Project: Water Rockets

Leilani Merrell
Fairfield Jr High School
Kaysville, UT
Project: Science Olympiad

Claire Meschkat
Open Door Christian School
Graham, TX
Project: Water Rocket Competition

Tomyka Muse
Amite High Magnet School
Amite, LA
Project: Robotic Prostheses

Brent Schulz
Center Grove High School
Greenwood, IN
Project: Combat Flight Simulation

Alethea Setser
Charles Pinckney Elementary School
Mount Pleasant, SC
Project: Building, Coding, & Operating Drones

Marina Shubert
Roberts Elementary School
Dallas, GA
Project: Airplane & Rocket Construction

Dolores Smith
Umatilla Elementary School
Umatilla, FL
Project: Emerging Engineers

Matthew Strine
Monessen Middle/High School
Monessen, PA
Project: Drone Building

Bob Thomas
Mother Mcauley High School
Chicago, IL
Project: Rocket Building & Launch

Mario Tommasi
Cherry Hill High School West
Cherry Hill, NJ
Project: AFJROTC Orienteering Program

Jennifer Veloso
Fort Dorchester Elementary School
Summerville, SC
Project: Makerspace Lab Kit

Daniel Walsh
Elkhart High School West
Elkhart, IN
Project: STEM Lab Equipment

Dr. Mary Webb
Withrow University High School
Cincinnati, OH
Project: Flight Simulation

Andrew Woodrow
Battle Ground High School
Battle Ground, WA
Project: Science of Flight

2021 Educator Grant Recipients

Katrina Anderson
Cross Creek School
Pompano Beach, FL
Project: Drone and Flight Simulator

Debra Barber
Sumter Career and Technology Center
Sumter, SC
Project: Flight Simulator Stations

Keith Booker
East T-STEM Academy
Memphis, TN
Project: UAV Experiments

Tracy Clark
STARBASE Nellis
Las Vegas/Nellis Air Force Base, NV
Project: Simple Machine Lessons

Jeffrey Coggin
Heritage High School
Maryville, TN
Project: Rocket Launches

John Coveney
Sandalwood High School
Jacksonville, FL
Project: Robotics Competition

Pam Crumpton
Lawrence County Career Technical Center
Moulton, AL
Project: Circuitry Building in Virtual Reality

Marian Gilmore
Silver Sands School
Ft. Walton Beach, FL
Project: Kite Design and Flight Competition

R. Alan Godman
Legacy High School
Broomfield, CO
Project: Physics of Flight Experiments

Kala Jo Grice-Dobbins
Sparkman Middle School
Toney, AL
Project: Sphero Computer Science Kits

Leesa Hubbard
W.A. Wright Elementary School
Mt Juliet, TN
Project: Building and Launching Rockets

Marci Kennison
S.S. Dixon Intermediate School
Pace, FL
Project: Space Holographics

Janet Kirsten
South Miami K-8
Miami, FL
Project: Cybernetic Galaxy Symphony

Nikita LaCour
Scotlandville Pre Engineering Magnet Academy
Baton Rouge, LA
Project: Take Flight STEM Kits

Lisa Lewis
Lafayette Upper Elementary School
Fredericksburg City, VA
Project: Moon and Space Lessons

Caroline Little
Visitation School
Mendota Heights, MN
Project: Moon to Mars Rocket Experiments

Melissa Matias
Old Vail Middle School
Vail, AZ
Project: Makerspace Materials

Jenny Mccall
Winburn Middle School
Lexington, KY
Project: Mid-Altitude Balloon Launch

Kate McCann
U-32 Middle and High School
Montpelier, VT
Project: Sphero STEM Kits

Francoise McHugh
Benjamin Franklin High School
New Orleans, LA
Project: VEX Robotics Kits

Claire Meschkat
Open Door Christian School
Graham, TX
Project: High-Altitude Balloon Launch

Dustin Strate
Umatilla Elementary
Umatilla, FL
Project: 3-D Printing and Launching Rockets

Bob Thomas
Mother Mcauley High School
Chicago, IL
Project: Robotics and Rocket Experiments

Matthew Troutman
Thomas Jefferson School
Saint Louis, MO
Project: Robot Design Competition

Allison Vrana
La Vega Junior High School George Dixon Campus
Waco, TX
Project: Robotics Programming

Daniel Walsh
John Adams High School
South Bend, IN
Project: Civil Air Patrol Aerospace Lessons

Dr. Mary Webb
Withrow University High School
Cincinnati, OH
Project: STEM Lab Library Materials for In-Home Learning