DAYTON, OHIO – The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) has announced that Velvet Thomas of Golden Poppy Elementary School, Palmdale, Calif., is the recipient of the “A. Scott Crossfield Aerospace Educator of The Year Award” for 2017. The award was presented October 28, 2017 during NAHF’s 55th Annual Enshrinement Dinner and Ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Crossfield Award, founded in 1986 by NAHF enshrinee, engineer and test pilot, A. Scott Crossfield (1921-2006), to recognize a K-12 teacher for his or her exemplary use of aerospace in their classroom curricula.
Velvet Thomas currently teaches third grade, and is celebrated for her hands-on approach to aviation education. Her non-traditional lessons have included taking students to watch the space shuttle re-enter the atmosphere and visit the Sage Planetarium. Thomas has also held takeoff and landing simulations in class and even taught students the pilot’s alphabet.