Shella Condino: National Aviation Hall of Fame 2011 Crossfield Teacher of the Year


Mrs. Shella Condino honored as National Aviation Hall of Fame’s 2011 A. Scott Crossfield Aerospace Eduacation Teacher of the Year

 

 

Shella R. Condino, physics teacher at Presidio High School, Presidio, Texas, was unanimously chosen by the National Aviation Hall of Fame’s selection committee to receive the 2011 A. Scott Crossfield Aerospace Education Teacher of the Year Award.  Nominated by employee Milt Clary, Mrs. Condino represents the best attributes of an education professional: dedication, commitment, resourcefulness, innovation, and creativity. Overlook Systems is very proud of its association with her and Presidio’s rocketry students.

The A. Scott Crossfield Aerospace Education Teacher of the Year Award was created and funded by Mr. Crossfield in 1986 to recognize and reward a K-12 teacher for outstanding achievements in aerospace education. Mr. Crossfield was himself inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1983 in recognition of his contributions as a naval aviator, aerospace engineer, and test pilot. He is best known as the first man to successfully fly at speeds of Mach 2 and Mach 3, and contributing to the safety of manned space flight, among his many other achievements.  Mrs. Condino’s use of aerospace as means of providing her students with a hands-on approach to learning advanced physics led to her nomination by Mr. Clary.

Overlook began its association with Mrs. Condino and Presidio High School’s rocketry team as result of their success in National rocketry completion, leading to Overlook’s corporate sponsorship of their efforts.  Presidio is located along the Rio Grande River, 240 miles south of El Paso Texas and resides in the most remote part of the Continental United States.  Presidio’s median family income is less than $20,000 per year.  Yet in spite of their economic and geographical disadvantages, Shella’s students consistently place in the Top 20 of Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) National Finals and have distinguished themselves at NASA’s Student Launch Initiative (SLI).  SLI is highly competitive, comprised of 18 teams selected from schools across the nation.  This year two of Shella’s rocketry teams qualified for NASA’s SLI and were recognized as the two best High School teams by NASA and National Association or Rocketry volunteers.

In Mr. Clary’s nomination he capped off the letter with the following quote; “Many of the TARC teams that compete with Presidio’s students live in the vicinity of NASA facilities, major universities and research & development centers with well educated people eager to help.  These students’ parents work in the space program, research labs or highly technical companies such as Boeing, Lockheed-Martin and  Northrop Grumman.  But in Presidio, there is but one “October Sky” teacher inspiring “October Sky” students and the results speak for themselves.”

Left to Right: Astronaut Neil Armstrong, Shella and Darwin Condino

 

 

 

[via overlooksys.com]