Helping ACE Academy Inspire Futures in Aviation, STEM and Beyond

LACONIA—Hayden Cardinal is exploring microbiology as a junior at Laconia High School.

Mileydi Jaynes, a sophomore at Winnisquam Regional High School, is building leadership skills through Civil Air Patrol.

And Soleil Lamar, a young woman from the Northern Mariana Islands, has entered the United States Naval Academy with hopes of becoming a military pilot.

Funding from the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Fund is helping change the lives of these young people—and many others—by opening doors to STEM-related careers through WinnAero’s Aerospace Career Education (ACE) Academy at Laconia Airport, one of the many nonprofit programs the fund supports.

About ACE Academy

Dan Caron, WinnAero’s longtime director of educational services and ACE Academy director, said the academy was designed to provide students with a window into opportunities they might not otherwise encounter.

Held each summer at Laconia Airport, ACE Academy introduces students in grades 3 through 12 to aviation, aerospace and STEM careers through hands-on activities, guest speakers, field trips, simulators and orientation flights.

“Most students are getting exposed to careers they wouldn’t be able to see otherwise,” Caron said. “They get to talk to pilots, air traffic controllers, engineers, medical professionals, drone operators, airport planners and many other professionals connected to aviation.”

This summer, more than 90 students from across New Hampshire are enrolled in 13 academy sessions. Programs range from aerospace engineering and manufacturing to air traffic control, search and rescue, space science, drone operations, aviation medicine and pre-ground school instruction.

High school participants can also earn one-half elective credit through New Hampshire’s Learn Everywhere program.

Caron, a retired technology and engineering educator with more than 45 years of experience in middle and high school classrooms, has helped lead ACE Academy since its early years. He said one of the program’s greatest strengths is introducing students to careers they may never have considered through a hands-on approach to learning.

“There are a lot of careers related to aviation that students might never have thought about,” he said.

Those careers, far beyond the cockpit, include aerospace engineering, emergency services, aviation medicine, drone technology, navigation systems and civil engineering.

The various journeys

Cardinal, the Laconia High School junior, has attended 10 ACE Academy sessions over the years. This summer, he is participating in the St. Paul’s School Advanced Studies Program and exploring a future in microbiology and other highly technical fields.

Jaynes, who lives in Tilton and attends Winnisquam Regional High School, will participate in her seventh ACE Academy session this summer. She is active in Civil Air Patrol and continues to advance through leadership positions that may eventually lead to military service.

Lamar’s story demonstrates the long-term impact the program can have.

Originally from Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, she attended ACE Academy while traveling across the United States with her mother 2022 to visit military academies and summer programs.

During her time at ACE Academy, she met a female Coast Guard crew member from Guam who inspired her to pursue aviation. Today, Lamar is a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where she hopes to become a pilot after graduation.

Caron says Gilford Public Works Director Meghan Theriault, a civil engineer, is another example of the type of role model students benefit from meeting.

“Girls need to see somebody doing these jobs to realize they can do them, too,” Caron said.

History and mission

WinnAero was founded in 2009 by Lakes Region attorney and developer Bill Seed of Gilford.

According to Don Morrissey, WinnAero’s treasurer and a founding member, the organization’s mission is to help young people discover educational and career opportunities while building confidence and skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

WinnAero serves roughly 500 students each year. In addition to ACE Academy, the organization offers two other popular programs: Wings, Water, Wheels, an annual touch-the-plane and touch-the-truck event for families, and the Aerospace Career Fair, where STEM-related colleges, organizations and agencies showcase aviation and aerospace career opportunities for high school students.

Morrissey, a retired military pilot, said, “I am inspired by helping kids learn more about aviation, as well as the ever-changing and improving technologies available in this field.”

‘All it takes is one experience’

Whether they become pilots, engineers, scientists, military officers or leaders in other professions, ACE Academy provides students with something invaluable: the opportunity to discover what is possible.

“Sometimes all it takes is one experience or one person to open a student’s eyes to a future they hadn’t considered before,” Caron said.

To learn more, visit winnaero.org.

To learn more about the Children’s Fund, visit ChildrensFundNH.org.

About the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Fund

Numerous fundraising events in the Lakes Region throughout the year support the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Fund, including the Children’s Auction, our four-day signature event every December; Pub Mania; Christmas in July; and the Sweepstakes Social. In the past four decades the organization has distributed more than $10 million to over 150 nonprofits that serve low-income families and children in the Lakes Region, all through volunteer efforts, community donations and corporate sponsorship. The Auction falls under the umbrella of the Greater Lakes Region Charitable Fund for Children, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that helps local community organizations that serve children and families in need. For more information about the Auction, the nonprofits it supports and how you can help, visit ChildrensFundNH.org.