{"id":27591,"date":"2024-01-14T01:13:32","date_gmt":"2024-01-14T01:13:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saj.pachecostudios.com?p=27591"},"modified":"2024-01-14T01:13:34","modified_gmt":"2024-01-14T01:13:34","slug":"oklahoma-to-field-test-bessie-coleman-after-school-aviation-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/state-news\/oklahoma\/oklahoma-to-field-test-bessie-coleman-after-school-aviation-program\/%20","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma to Field-Test Bessie Coleman After School Aviation Program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Photo above – Senate Education Chairman Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, joined Grayson Ardies, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics Thursday to announce a partnership with the Bessie Coleman Aviation All-Stars Program to create a special after-school aviation program for 6th and 7th graders in Weatherford Public Schools, Pryor Public Schools, and Springdale Elementary of the Tulsa Public Schools. They were joined by Gigi Coleman Brooms, President of the Chicago-based aviation education 501(c)3, teachers and members of the Oklahoma National Guard.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics\nExecutive Director, Grayson Ardies, and Senator Adam Pugh, the Chair of the\n59th Legislative AERO Caucus and Senate Education Committee, announced a\npartnership with the Bessie Coleman Aviation All-Stars Program, and Gigi\nColeman Brooms, President of the Chicago-based aviation education 501\n(c)3.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At its December 2023 meeting, the Commission approved a\npartnership with the Bessie Coleman Aviation All-Star Program to implement an\nafter-school aviation program for 6th and 7th-grade students enrolled in the\nWeatherford Public Schools, Pryor Public Schools, and Springdale Elementary of\nthe Tulsa Public Schools. The first of its kind in Oklahoma, students enrolled\nin the aeronautical program will learn about aerospace careers and will\nparticipate in hands-on aviation projects that have been designed to create\ninterest in aerospace and aeronautics while celebrating the heritage of Bessie\nColeman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Senate Education Chairman Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, Weatherford Public Schools, Pryor Public Schools, and Gigi Coleman Brooms celebrated the after school program, the Bessie Coleman Aviation All-Stars field-test in Oklahoma with the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAerospace is Oklahoma\u2019s fastest growing industry, and it\u2019s\nimportant we provide as many educational opportunities as possible, so our\nstudents can learn about the incredible career opportunities available in the\nvarious aviation fields right here in our state. The earlier young people are\nexposed to the world of aeronautics, the more likely they are to take\nSTEM-related classes and gain the tools and knowledge needed to successfully\npursue a career in this exciting industry,\u201d Pugh said. \u201cAs a former aviator,\nI\u2019m thrilled this unique after-school aviation program will now be offered in\nOklahoma and look forward to hearing how it opens students\u2019 minds to the\nendless world of possibilities in the aerospace industry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the first week, students will be introduced digitally\nto Gigi Coleman, Bessie Coleman\u2019s great-niece, an actor-historian of the Bessie\nColeman aviation story, where she will reenact her great aunt\u2019s early life\ntelling the story of how she became America\u2019s first black, female pilot in\n1921. During the following weeks, students will meet pilot professionals, build\nairplanes, interact with military aviation professionals, and learn about\ncommercial flight, space travel, advanced air mobility, and drone operations.\nDuring the after-school program, Oklahoma educators will follow a curriculum\ndeveloped by the Bessie Coleman Aviation All-Star Program and the Oklahoma\nDepartment of Aerospace and Aeronautics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have enjoyed an amazing relationship with the Bessie\nColeman Aviation All-Stars Program. Gigi accepted the 2022 Oklahoma Women in\nAviation and Aerospace Day Woman of the Year award, and our partnership has\ncreated this unique aero-education opportunity that will benefit Oklahoma\nstudents in communities across the state,\u201d said Ardies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 30, 2026, marks the 100th anniversary of Bessie\nColeman\u2019s death and in keeping her legacy alive, their goal is to expand\naviation programs throughout the United States, reaching as many students as\npossible. The curriculum is designed to promote STEM (science, technology\nengineering, and math), teach the theory of flight (aeronautics) and introduce\nvarious careers, pioneers and inventors in aviation. They are a national\n501(c)(3) non-profit organization where their work is primarily funded by grants\nand individual donations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAunt Bessie would be proud of the work we are doing in her\nhonor and legacy.  Speaking at schools\nand churches, she encouraged African Americans\u2019 interest in aviation. She also\nraised money to found a school to train black aviators. One hundred years\nlater, we are continuing her mission and we are excited to bring the state of\nOklahoma into our aeronautical family,\u201d said Coleman-Brooms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo above – Senate Education Chairman Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, joined Grayson Ardies, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics Thursday to announce a partnership with the Bessie Coleman Aviation All-Stars Program to create a special after-school aviation program for 6th and 7th graders in Weatherford Public Schools, Pryor Public Schools, and Springdale […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":27592,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[144,98,56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aerospace-education","category-aviation-education","category-oklahoma"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Besse-coleman-OK.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27591"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27595,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27591\/revisions\/27595"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}