New Teacher of the Year

Zach Bettinger

By Nathan King

2023 Mississippi Association of Career Technical Educators (MS ACTE) Teacher of the Year Zachery

Bettinger and his 10th-12th grade CTE students soar high into the Starkville skies with small, unmanned aircraft, from the grounds of Millsaps

Career and Technical Center (MCTC). He teaches the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) course for the Starkville-Oktibbeha School District (SOSD).

His course covers Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations for safe drone maintenance and operation, advanced image capture, flight theory and UAS-related careers within aerial photography, agriculture, security and Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) mapping. His classroom includes a manned fixed-wing flight simulator where students experience private pilot training. Students practice simulated and real-world flight maneuvers while gaining technical skills that broaden their career options.

“I greatly enjoy allowing students to develop skills through hands-on practice with each piece of tech found within my classroom at MCTC,” Bettinger said.

To prepare for teaching, Bettinger enrolled in a methods course that prepares UAS teachers that is offered by the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) and Mississippi State University’s Research and Curriculum Unit (RCU). His methods trainer for this course is David Weigle, the UAS teacher for PascagoulaGautier College and Career Technical Institute (PGCCTI), who prepared Bettinger to teach flight skills, aerial photography and autonomous mission planning. As a result of this training, Bettinger’s students develop 21st-century workforce skills, including critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, technological literacy and leadership while demonstrating proper multirotor and fixed-wing flight skills.

A transplant to Mississippi, Bettinger fondly said, “Warsaw, Indiana is home to me, snow and all.” He credits Benjamin Stansbury, a retired Robotics and Engineering teacher at Ocean Springs High School, as his inspiration for becoming a teacher, saying, “I strive every day to be the same motivational teacher to my students that he was to me.”

When discussing family connections that inspired him to work with UAS he said, “A large amount of my family were pilots. My father used to tell me stories of my great-grandfather, who flew ‘sky trains’ during World War II. While I was always interested in joining them, I was stricken blind in one eye by circumstance.”

When asked what he has learned personally through teaching this course, he lightheartedly replied, “Power lines are very hard to see and avoid when flying a drone while using its camera.”

Benjamin Berry, a UAS student and senior at SHS, said, “Mr. Bettinger has had a very educational and informational impact on me and other students who have taken or are currently taking this course.”

“I appreciate being able to practice flying drones on a flight simulator. In this class, I have learned all about the Meteorological Aerodrome Report (METAR) system. I am thankful to be given the opportunity to fly small UAS through a school course.” Berry also mentioned he “would highly recommend this course to other students who have an interest in aerospace technology.”

Dr. Lenora Hogan stated Bettinger’s “interest and excitement for what he teaches proves that he is the right teacher for the job. Our school district was awarded the NCAC Perkins Reserve grant in 2022. At the time, Bettinger was an 8th-grade English department academic teacher for SOSD. I selected him to visit the Central Florida Aerospace Academy in Polk County to gauge his interest in this teaching position. He was genuinely excited to see that this type of program was available. His passion was to be a pilot. This course was the connector for him.”

She also stated, “Within a short amount of time, [Bettinger] began to send me field trip ideas and he found groups within the area that donated electronics and other technical devices to aid his students.”

After observing the academy’s flight simulator and various aeronautical hands-on learning opportunities, he told Dr. Hogan, “This is my calling. This is what I was meant to do.”

In addition to his teaching duties, Hogan mentioned that Bettinger initiated a Board Game Club. Bettinger said, “The intention is to connect Starkville High School and MCTC students who are interested in strategy and narrative games.” He said, “This year our club received a Warhammer Alliance sponsorship!” Bettinger also coaches the Technology Student Association (TSA) student organization at MCTC as well.

Along with preparing his students through various tactical flight maneuvers, they receive their national FAA part 107 certifications. Hogan said Bettinger “has had success with many of his students in passing their certification tests.”

Bettinger’s goal is to prepare students to transition into UASrelated job opportunities in Mississippi. Regarding the broad reach of UAS applications, Bettinger said he believes “these systems are going to become part and parcel of everyday life.”

Bettinger maintains contact with other UAS CTE teachers across the state. This aids in building a solid foundation for his students. He also built trusting partnerships with industry and his advisory committee members. His committee includes a group that flies drones for ESPN locally to film college-level sports events.

He has built partnerships with individuals connected to Mississippi State University’s (MSU’s) Broadcast Department and MSU Raspet Flight Research Laboratory to develop workbased learning opportunities.

“I owe a lot to MSU and their wonderful Broadcast Department. My contacts Nikki Arellana and Jonathan Ashley are great folks out that way,” he said.

Bettinger has high hopes for the future of his students enrolled in his UAS course. “I would like to help every student I teach gain their pilot’s license,” he said.