On October 8 and 9, 2025, all 5th grade students in Culpeper County took flight on a STEM learning adventure at the Culpeper Airport. As part of the Culpeper Air Fest STEM Program, students rotated through a series of interactive exhibits housed in seven spacious 60×60 hangars, exploring hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math activities designed to spark curiosity and career dreams.
The Culpeper Air Fest team expressed its enthusiasm for the annual event, stating on their website, “The Culpeper Air Fest is extremely excited to offer this program again this year! It is part of our ongoing goal to provide educational opportunities to our community.”
This long-standing partnership between Culpeper County Public Schools, the Air Fest team, private schools, and homeschool groups provides students with an opportunity to engage with STEM in a real-world setting. Over the course of two days, students participated in a variety of activities that showcased how science and technology are woven into aviation, construction, manufacturing, robotics, and more.
“This event is a true community effort,” said Randi Richards-Lutz, CCPS Career and Technical Education Director and member of the Culpeper Air Fest STEM Committee. “We are so grateful to our airport, hangar owners, Career Partners, students, staff, and presenters for making our ninth year of STEM days such a success.”
Longtime Culpeper Air Fest supporter Mike Dale has been part of the program since it began in 2017. Hosting students in his hangar, he offers them a glimpse into the world of historical aircraft restoration. One of the most popular stops is his Nieuport, a World War I aircraft he’s currently rebuilding. Students also get hands-on experience making their own rivets, which they proudly take home as a keepsake.
The event is structured around multiple themed zones, each highlighting a different connection between STEM and real-world applications. Students explored:
Historical aircraft preservation and reconstruction
Industry, manufacturing, construction, and infrastructure
Math, coding, robotics, and education pathways
Aviation, model planes, helicopters, and go-karting
More than 70 volunteers and community partners played a vital role in making the event possible. Local businesses shared demonstrations and interactive activities, while students from the Culpeper Technical Education Center proudly presented their own projects, including an electric go-kart, built by CTEC students to showcase alternative solar power . Many of these high school students first experienced the event years earlier as 5th graders, making their return as presenters especially meaningful.
Transportation staff were also key to the event’s success. Thanks to the dedication of CCPS bus drivers, hundreds of students arrived at and departed from the airport safely and on time.
The 2025 STEM at the Airport experience gave students a memorable introduction to potential career paths while sparking excitement about learning. “Thank you for making our STEM event such a success!” Richards-Lutz added. “We had good weather, outstanding organization, exciting new features, and enthusiastic students. Our 5th graders and teachers loved every minute of it.”