High-flying teachers attend workshop

Eight Warren County teachers were among 80 teachers who attended. These educators were awarded scholarships provided by a grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation which pays for tuition along with flight instruction in an MTSU flight training plane.

The flight instruction consisted of a two-hour introductory flight for the basic workshop and a cross-country flight, as well as a night flight for those in the advanced workshop.

Field trips to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio; Arnold Engineering Development Center and Staggerwing Museum in Tullahoma, and Huntsville Space and Rocket Center were included as part of the workshops.

Presentations were given by NASA’s five-time space commander, Col. Hoot Gipson; Col. John Black, local helicopter pilot; Alex Evans, former US Air Marshall, now with Homeland Security; Col. Jason Cripps, airline pilot and other officials.

Phyl Taylor, a principal at WCHS, has been involved in directing the workshops for 17 years. She relates that the ultimate goal is for teachers to become equipped with the knowledge, materials, curriculum guides and activities to successfully incorporate aerospace into existing curriculum. Materials from both workshops are aligned with Gateway and other state test requirements. The hands-on activities provided to the educators make workshops a fun way to learn new material.

Several Warren County teachers are enrolled in MTSU’s master’s program. Many of the teachers who attended this year’s advanced workshop are already utilizing the materials and curriculum guides in their classrooms.

Warren County teachers who attended the advanced workshop are Diane Knowles, Vera Kuhn, Jennifer Paris, Earl McClung, Jamie Branin, Dawn Cantrell and Kelly Stewart. Pam Youngblood attended the basic workshop.

For further information about the workshops or for an application, contact Taylor at [email protected].