T
his summer was extraordinary for Kara Rocco. The
Mars Area Middle School eighth grader attended
the 2016 AirCamp summer aviation program held at
Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
In its seventh year, AirCamp offers a unique aviation
experience designed to inspire middle school students
to learn the science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) behind aviation and aeronautics
through immersed learning activities while allowing
students to experience the thrill of piloting a plane.
This summer, three camp sessions offered engaging
experiences as students traveled to Dayton’s one-of-akind aviation sites from their home base at Wright State
University, including a curriculum created for the new
fourth hangar addition at the National Museum of the
United States Air Force.
“I became interested in flying when I heard about this
camp because I thought it would be cool to attend, and as
I’ve gotten older I’ve become more interested in learning
about how such large objects can fly in the air,” says Kara.
She is the daughter of Louis and Christina Rocco and
has one younger sister, Adeline. Her favorite subject in
school is math and her favorite teacher at Mars Area
School District has been her sixth grade math teacher
Mrs. Badger. “Mrs. Badger really made math class fun and
taught us methods to solve difficult problems that we will
never forget,” Kara explains.
Flying had always been an interest, but Kara had never
flown an airplane until this summer at AirCamp. “I started
flying as a passenger around age two, but AirCamp was my
first experience as a pilot,” she says.
Kara discovered AirCamp through her cousin, Jack
DeVita, who lives in Columbus, Ohio. He previously
attended AirCamp and had a great experience. Both Kara
and Jack’s sister, Lucy, decided to apply to attend this year.
During the week-long camp, the group toured the
National Museum of the United States Air Force and also
went to Dayton International Airport to get a behind-thescenes look at baggage check and the air traffic control
tower. Additionally, Kara went to the Boonshoft Museum
of Discovery and took the aviation short course at Sinclair
Community College. She had the opportunity to work
with many different people from all over the country, and
enjoyed meeting kids her age who shared her interests in
math and science.
“On top of all of that, I was able to fly an actual airplane
with a certified, licensed pilot,” she notes. “My favorite
part of the experience was definitely flying the airplane
and taking in the views from the cockpit. It was amazing
to see everything from thousands of feet in the air while
controlling the aircraft.”
Right now, Kara’s main focus is her schoolwork. Though
she’s not exactly sure what she wants to be when she
grows up, she would like to do something in the math and
science fields.
For more information on AirCamp, visit
aircampusa.com. n
Mars Area | Winter 2016 | icmags.com 11