Stockton Middle-Schoolers Now Have Air & Space Option

A new program starting next month in Stockton, Calif., offers a chance for 24 students in grades 7 through 9 to integrate aeronautics and space into their middle-school curriculum. The Venture Space and Aeronautics Academy will meet at the Stockton National Guard Air Center. “There’s so much science and math in aviation,” academy educator Marcie Lane told the Lodi News-Sentinel. “It’s exciting and motivating for the kids.” Local EAA members will cooperate with the program as pilot mentors and as part of the Young Eagles program. Materials developed by NASA and the FAA will be extensively used in the classroom. The Venture charter school works “to awaken the imagination, passion, dreams and curiosity … of students who are unserved or underserved in traditional schools,” according to the school’s Web site.