BETHEL SCHOOL DISTRICT — Bethel High student Travis Currer doesn’t just reach for the stars, he is studying them as part of the Washington Aerospace Scholars Program. The WAS program is a free, competitive, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education program for Washington state high school juniors.  The program is affiliated with the NASA Johnson Space Center’s National High School Aerospace Scholars program, which has partner programs in Texas, Virginia, and Idaho. Its primary goal is to excite and prepare students to pursue careers pathways in STEM fields using a distance-learning curriculum developed in partnership with NASA and the University of Washington. 

The WAS program is divided into two components, an online curriculum and a summer residency. In phase one, students participate in distance-learning using a NASA-designed, online curriculum, which consists of bi-weekly lessons from December to May. The curriculum covers the history and future of space exploration. As part of the program, students complete readings, compose essays, design graphics, and solve mathematic problems. 

Then, for phase two, the Museum of Flight hosts a six-day summer residency program.  To participate in phase two, students are expected to meet deadlines and show mastery of the first-phase curriculum.  Seating is limited to 160 of the top-performing students. During the residency students will design a human mission to Mars, tour engineering facilities, receive briefings from experts in the field, and compete in hands-on engineering challenges.  For more details about the program, visit http://www.museumofflight.org/was.