Eloise Ogden/MDN
Samantha Blessum, left, and Katy Larcombe are shown with Little Horse, a P-51 Mustang, at the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot. They are co-education coordinators of the ACE and PACE Aviation Camps held each year at the air museum.
Samantha Blessum & Katy Larcombe help kids learn about aviation
Regional Editor eogden@minotdailynews.com
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amantha Blessum and Katy Larcombe come from families involved in aspects of aviation. Both are kindergarten teachers in Minot Public Schools and they’re also co-education coordinators of the ACE and PACE Aviation Camps at Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot. The ACE/PACE program, fun, educational camps for grade school kids, started about eight years ago. Michelle Saari and Melessa Bosch developed the program at the air museum. When the program started Blessum and Larcombe got involved as aviation mentors. “We were still in college so we helped out
as needed,” said Larcombe. Blessum and Larcombe would each take one of the stations of the program to help out or were the teacher for a specific station. “It just depended on who was able to show up that day,” Blessum said. This is Blessum’s second year as an education coordinator and Larcombe’s first year in that capacity. Blessum shadowed Saari before taking over as an education coordinator. Larcombe came on board as a co-education coordinator when Blessum needed some help with the program. “It’s nice having two co-coordinators,” Larcombe said. Both have family members involved in aviation. “My dad is a pilot and he’s also an airplane mechanic,” Samantha Blessum said.
MINOT
Inspiring young aviators
By ELOISE OGDEN
HOMETOWN (2021) • www.MinotDailyNews.com
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