A Simms Independent School District teacher was named the Teacher of the Year by the local chapter of the Air and Space Force Association (AFA).
Dana O’Neal, the biology, astronomy and environmental sciences teacher at James Bowie High School, was honored by Northeast Texas, AFA Chapter 416 Northeast Texas in March.
O’Neal is in her 20th year of teaching and her second year at Simms ISD.
She was nominated by Eddie May, SISD superintendent.
“Since she’s been here, she’s been a great asset to our science program. I think the kids have really benefitted from her being here. We’re proud that she was able to get that award,” May said.
O’Neal is the first teacher from Bowie County to be recognized by and partner with AFA.
“It’s very humbling is what it is. I just came by the Air and Space Force Association completely by accident,” said Dana O’Neal, science teacher at Simms ISD. “I’m not doing much more than any other great teacher in this area. … There’s so many really good teachers in this area. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time asking the right questions.”
O’Neal said that in an attempt to help fund learning opportunities for lessons on rocket propulsion, she learned about and applied for a 2023-2024 grant from the AFA. It was through that application, Vance Clarke, president of Chapter 416, learned about O’Neal’s mission for her classroom.
That application, both said, led to a partnership between the school and organization that has opened up doors for students at Simms.
“Kids that are exposed to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs and STEM education have a much greater propensity to go into STEM related fields, which means that now we’re helping to continue to find our engineers and those types of people that we need, that ultimately will be the ones that will design the things that our military as well as our nation is going to need,” Clarke said.
With encouragement from Clarke, a team of O’Neal’s students competed in AFA’s Stellar Explorers program this year which taught them many aspects of the knowledge used in military aeronautics.
“It went right along with the astronomy stuff that we were already doing. It actually put kids in contact with software used by Air and Space Force and they got to learn how to put a satellite in orbit, what it takes to launch a rocket, how much money it cost, how to recoup some of that money. They had to deal with all these little tiny details in this competition. It was the best thing I think I’ve done all year long,” O’Neal said.
She added that, while the team didn’t advance in competition, what they learned was a win.
“They failed, but they failed beautifully because they learned from that failure …They learned how to work together as a team, they learned that little details make the difference and they learned how to deal with budgets,” she said.
O’Neal said she is excited for the future and what partnering with AFA will bring to her classroom. She said she will continue to encourage her students to compete in Stellar Explorers as well as participate in other programs offered to students by AFA.
“Dana has just been incredibly impressive and she cares so much about her kids and trying to give them opportunities,” Clarke said. “I know we’re ignorant about a lot of things in life and, having grown up as a service brat and then 30 years in the Air Force, I haven’t been in a lot of tier one school districts or large ag areas, per se. So it’s been very interesting to learn that STEM oftentimes is not something that’s at a forefront. So to have a teacher like Dana that’s trying to show students that there are other avenues in life that you could explore.”
Clarke said the partnership he has made with O’Neal and Simms has opened the door to potential partnerships with other area schools interested in advancing their STEM education.
For more information about Northeast Texas Chapter 416 of AFA, visit their website at NETXAFA. org or email Clarke at TX416.Northeast.treasurer@ AFA.org.
