The National Aviation Hall of Fame is seeking entries for its 37th Annual A. Scott Crossfield Aerospace Education Teacher of the Year Award.
Founded in 1986 by famed research test pilot, the late A. Scott Crossfield, the award is a juried competition open to educators from grades kindergarten through twelfth grade in a public, private, parochial, charter school, or homeschool setting. Nominees can also be teachers in non-traditional learning environments. Nominations will be examined by a review committee of aerospace and education professionals for documentation of each nominee’s effectiveness, creativity, and ability to maintain high standards for their students and themselves, with aerospace being the core subject matter of 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. Crossfield 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 and 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 recognition in conjunction with the NAHF’s annual Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony to be held the weekend of September 22nd in Washington, DC. The award will be presented by a NAHF Enshrinee. Presenters since Crossfield’s passing include Major General Joe Engle, USAF (Ret), Captain Robert “Hoot” Gibson, USN (Ret), and Major General Charles Bolden, USMC (Ret).
The 2022 Teacher of the Year was Jill Weaver a middle school teacher at Valley View Junior High in Dayton, Ohio. The successful nomination was submitted by Colonel Joseph Kittinger, USAF (Ret), a 1994 Enshrinee of the NAHF who passed away this year. Col. Kittinger, a personal friend of Scott Crossfield, promised to carry on “Scotty’s Legacy” of recognizing the most impactful aerospace educators in the nation. Kittinger said, “Mrs. Weaver has dedicated her career to promoting STEM objectives to her students. Because of her advocacy, she has been awarded over $250,000 in grants to finance STEM programs for her students.”
Jenny Michael, a former Valley View Board of Education member, said, “Jill epitomizes what great hands-on education can do for student achievement. In fact, she pioneers STEM education in our district, and I see firsthand how much she is admired by her students.”
To learn more about the Crossfield Award or to apply, please visit here.
