Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Lab School Aerospace topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Aerospace Academy director outlines lab-school plan, $4.67 million state grant and recruitment status
Summary
Rachel White, director of the Aerospace Academy of the Eastern Shore, briefed the Accomack County School Board on the lab-school model, curriculum, equipment purchases, and lottery-based admissions; the program has 69 applications and 57 local applicants so far.
Rachel White, director of the Aerospace Academy of the Eastern Shore, told the Accomack County School Board the program is a state-funded lab school established in 2024 with a five-year grant of $4,670,000.
White said the academy serves grades 9–12, is tuition free, and will operate as a co-located program across four high schools in year one: two required elective courses (computer science and engineering explorations for ninth grade) will be taught by grant-funded STEM specialists. Students will continue to take required diploma courses with two academy courses counted as electives. The program includes six experiential learning days per year, year-end exhibitions at Eastern Shore Community College, student digital portfolios and internship opportunities, and a summer residential experience through ODU and the Virginia Spaceflight Academy.
White described planned year‑0 purchases: classroom renovations at Nandua and Arcadia High School to create maker-space classrooms, laptops, software, wind tunnels, 3-D printers and a flight simulator. She said the program will add a new cohort of 50 students in year two and grow to grades 9–12 by year four. White said Old Dominion University’s Center for Educational Innovation is the hub for the lab‑school network and that NASA Wallops Flight Facility may serve as a partner location.
On recruitment, White said the program has 69 lottery applications, 57 from Accomack County students; 55 letters were sent and applicants have until the end of the month to confirm or decline. She described outreach including a kickoff at Eastern Shore Community College, virtual information nights and visits to three middle schools. White invited board members and community members to an outreach event at the NASA Wallops Visitor Center the coming Saturday.
Board members asked clarifying questions; White said the program is in the start-up year and that year‑0 funding is focused on equipment and classroom renovation.
