Educators Certified to Launch Aerospace Education

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – Educators from schools in Houston, Baton Rouge and Dallas recently completed intensive training at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla. Already leaders in robotics, they are now certified adjunct instructors, bringing university-level aerospace curriculum into middle and high school classrooms in the Southwest Region Conference.

For middle schoolers, the new Aerospace Dimensions course will blend robotics, engineering and aviation fundamentals through projects like parachute egg drops, shoebox glider designs and coding basic machines. Students will gain early exposure to aerospace systems, design thinking and collaborative problem-solving.

High school students at Southwest Christian Academy will benefit from Journey of Flight: Introduction to Aerospace, a rigorous course covering aviation history, principles of flight and career pathways. Students in grades 10-12 can earn dual-enrollment credit through Embry-Riddle, strengthening college applications and opening pathways to aviation, aerospace engineering, drone technology and air traffic control. Homeschoolers are also eligible to apply this fall.

Adjunct instructors for middle grades include Tiffany Ellis (Excel Adventist Academy/Houston), Deloris Newman (Martin Luther King Junior Christian Academy/Baton Rouge), Danielle Byrd and Violet Dean (Southwest Christian Academy). Adjunct instructors for high school grades: Annette Hall (Southwest Christian Academy) and Lawanna McCoy (Southwest Region Conference Office of Education).

The benefits extend beyond classrooms. Students who complete courses may earn transferable college credit, giving them a competitive edge for STEM programs. More importantly, an authentic aerospace curriculum inspires real futures in rapidly growing industries.

This initiative signals a new approach to learning in the Southwest Region Conference. By equipping teachers as university-certified adjuncts, schools are turning classrooms into launchpads for innovation. Students are not just reading textbooks but engaging with industry-grade content, building machines and solving design challenges that prepare them for tomorrow’s world.

Founded in 1926, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the world’s leading institution for aviation and aerospace education, serving 33,000 students worldwide. Its programs—from flight training to unmanned aircraft systems—are internationally recognized for rigor and industry alignment.

Through its partnership with the Southwest Region Conference, Embry-Riddle extends this legacy, empowering educators and students with early access to aerospace education and preparing the next generation of pilots, engineers and innovators to lead in the skies and beyond.

By Lawanna McCoy

Superintendent of Education