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Northern Virginia Chapter Helps County Earn Regional Emmy

Fairfax County Public Schools won a regional Emmy Award in June for the second installment of its documentary series Flight School. The documentary series was funded in part by AFCEA’s Northern Virginia Chapter, which donated $350,000 to Fairfax County Public Schools’ multimedia department and its co-producer, the Smithsonian National Air and SpaceMuseumSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

The series features four interactive electronic field trips designed for students in grades four through eight. It aims to introduce students to the mathematics and science principles involved in the evolution of flight. “FlightSchool: Higher, Faster, Farther!” is the second installment in the series and won the regional Emmy in the Instructional-Information Program category. The National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented the award at the 50th Annual Emmy Awards. In the episode, students are shown the scientific principles that make controlled heavier-than-air flight possible through interviews with curators and discussions of rare artifacts. 

Sue Hoffman, AFCEA regional vice president, notes, “[The documentary series] seemed like the perfect way to do an outreach to children in math and science. You can’t go to high school seniors and say, ‘Do you want to be an engineer?’ This is where you have to catch them.”

The documentary project began in 2006, when Hoffman and Maribeth Luftglass, assistant superintendent and chief information officer for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), discussed a potential partnership between their organizations. Hoffman and Luftglass approached FCPS’ Department of Information Technology about producing a national educational outreach project through the Fairfax Network, which produces distance-learning programs that originate in FCPS.

The documentary’s concepts in part stemmed from a previous program the Fairfax Network co-produced with the StevenF.Udvar-HazyCenter’s education department. The annual program focused on Space Day and provided education features about flight and space travel, proving to be popular across the country. Tracey Jewell, manager of digital media production for the FCPS Department of Information Technology, explains, “We were hoping for a grant that would allow the development of another educational partnership program with similar content. The wonderful facility combined with an educational focus made the Udvar-HazyCenter a natural choice for a partner.”

Heather Daniels, producer of the Emmy-winning installment, agrees. “The amazing backdrop of the museum creates a new world for students to get lost in. And while they are lost in this world, they don’t even realize they are learning history, math, science, technology and engineering.”

Jewell credits Hoffman; Luftglass; Daniels; Donna Franklin, coordinator of the multimedia service center and a founder of the Fairfax Network; Doug Baldwin, chief of education for the Udvar-Hazy Center; and Sandra Brennan, producer of the first installment in the series, for helping fund the project. Luftglass acknowledges Hoffman’s consistent support throughout the project’s stages. “She has been a true champion, providing promotion and content support and enthusiastic encouragement every step of the way,” Luftglass shares.

Daniels also is grateful for the support the Northern Virginia Chapter as a whole provided. She notes, “The resources [the chapter] provided were invaluable and took this program well beyond anything I could have created without them. The Fairfax Network is a better resource because of our relationship with our partners.”

The final installment of the series will air on October 8 at 1 p.m. EDT from the Udvar-HazyCenter on Red Apple 21. Interested parties must register to view the episode.


Additional information about the program is available
online.

Visit Member Service's Region and Chapter Information page to read about other noteworthy chapter events.