Summer Soars with STEM: AFA National Teacher of the Year Attends Air Camp

Motivated teachers often use summer break to “go back to school” through professional development opportunities—and there are no teachers more professionally motivated than AFA’s National Teachers of the Year. Our 2022 winner, Nancy Parra-Quinlan, for instance, recently participated in an “Air Camp,” an exceptional professional development experience made possible through a renewed collaboration between AFA, Civil Air Patrol, and Air Camp, Inc., located in Dayton, Ohio.

Founded in 2010, Air Camp originally focused on inspiring youth through immersive aviation experiences. By 2015, a “Teachers Air Camp” was introduced to extend this hands-on STEM learning to educators. AFA’s National Teachers of the Year have been personally invited to Air Camp each year since 2019.

The three-day “Teachers Air Camp” experience consisted of carefully designed activities that highlight post-graduation STEM pathways and illustrate how STEM principles can be woven into virtually any lesson to enhance student learning.

During her camp, Parra-Quinlan got to visit a wide range of aviation museums, airports, and air fields. The first day included a visit to Carillon Historical Park and Museum to trace the Wright Brothers’ path to powered flight. The second day, the group explored the National Museum of the United States Air Force, where participants studied flight physics and toured the airfield with a retired test pilot. The group also visited Sinclair College’s UAS program and flew drones.

Parra-Quinlan says the highlight of her Air Camp was at Greene County Airport, where she not only spent time in a simulator, but actually flying an aircraft.

“I had the incredible experience of piloting a Piper Warrior and Cherokee with my Certified Flight Instructor, Micah, who taught me turns, climbs, descents, and even how to perform a stall,” she said. “That afternoon, we dug deeper into aviation content at Greene County Career Center, analyzing the natural flight of raptors to understand aerodynamics. We worked with sectional maps and real weather data to create flight plans.”

“’Teachers Air Camp’ was an amazing experience that changed how I will teach the principles of flight,” Parra-Quinlan reflected. “The curriculum and flight experience immersed us in the content and gave us powerful new tools for teaching. I will never teach aviation the same way again. I’m grateful to AFA, CAP, and Air Camp for this opportunity.”