Special Thank-You From Our Education Department

January 2018 - The education department would like to thank the EAA docents for all they do — especially giving guided tours to our school groups on the weekdays and our scout groups on the weekends. We’d like to extend a special thanks to a dedicated group of docents who go even further to assist with youth education by instructing our Merit Badge program on many Saturdays throughout the year. The Merit Badge instructors volunteer their time to the four-hour program, which includes a classroom PowerPoint presentation highlighting key aviation terms and concepts, building of a foam-plate glider, and preflight of an airplane. Merit Badge instructors first have to be a tour guide, and then complete an application with the Boy Scouts of America Bay-Lakes Council.

Once the council approves their application, they then shadow other Merit Badge instructors and/or educators to learn the entire program. It is clear the instructors are very dedicated to their craft. We currently have only a few approved active Merit Badge instructors, which means these instructors are in high demand and donate countless hours. Our Merit Badge instructors are wonderful to work with, and we are so lucky to have them to help promote enthusiasm for aviation to our youth. If you are a docent tour guide and are interested in joining our Merit Badge instructor team, please contact Bob Havens, at rhavens2@new.rr.com, or Tara Parkhurst, at tparkhurst@eaa.org or 920-426-5904, to begin the process.