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Education

Air Force Association Announces 2025 Thompson-Mallett National Teacher of the Year

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Air Force Association (AFA) is proud to introduce Ashlie Smith, an exemplary 8th-grade physical science teacher at Cranbrook Kingswood Middle School for Girls in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. as the 2025 Thompson-Mallett National Teacher of the Year. Smith's remarkable 24-year career in education has been a testament to her innovative teaching methods and profound dedication to fostering curiosity and global collaboration among her students.

Key Takeaways:

  • Ashlie Smith, a 24-year veteran educator, has been named the 2025 Thompson-Mallett National Teacher of the Year by the Air Force Association (AFA) for her exceptional work in teaching physical science to 8th-graders at Cranbrook Kingswood Middle School for Girls in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
  • Smith's innovative teaching methods and dedication to fostering curiosity and global collaboration among her students have led to the development of transformative classroom programs, such as "Cubes in Space" and "Space for Teachers," which provide hands-on experiences for students, including designing experiments that have successfully flown on suborbital rockets and Zero-G flights.
  • Smith has facilitated a groundbreaking international collaboration between her U.S. classroom and a Nigerian school, where students exchanged gifts, engaged in Zoom conversations, and developed a shared love for science across continents.
  • Through her involvement in the "Space for Teachers" program, Smith's students designed a propellant management device in 2025 to study the adhesive properties of liquids and their relationship to rocket fuel behavior in microgravity, which successfully flew and provided real-world exposure to advanced research.
  • Smith has worked with various organizations, including the International Space Station U.S. National Lab, the Astronaut Memorial Foundation, and the Space Foundation, and has received numerous prestigious awards and accolades for her work.
  • Smith's dedication to aerospace education extends far beyond her classroom, with her involvement in the Air Force Association's mission at both state and national levels, including attending bi-weekly leadership meetings, contributing to strategic planning for aerospace education outreach, and participating in AFA events.

Statistics:

  • Ashlie Smith has a 24-year career in education.
  • The "Cubes in Space" program has launched 43 student-designed experiments on sounding rockets and high-altitude balloons.
  • Smith's students have designed and flown a propellant management device in microgravity on a Zero-G plane.
  • Ashlie Smith has received the International Space Station U.S. National Lab Outstanding Educator Award, the Cubes in Space Educator of the Year Award, and the Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award presented by NASA, the Astronaut Memorial Foundation, and the Space Foundation.
  • Smith has been recognized as AFA Michigan's "State Teacher of the Year" in both 2021 and 2025, and achieved the distinction of National Runner-Up in 2021.

Sources:

  • Air Force Association (AFA)
  • Susan Mallett, AFA
  • Ashlie Smith, 2025 Thompson-Mallett National Teacher of the Year
  • Rolls-Royce
  • Kaci Heins, AFA National Teacher of the Year in 2014
  • Brig. Gen. Doug "Odie" Slocum, USAF (Ret.), Michigan AFA President
  • International Space Station U.S. National Lab
  • Astronaut Memorial Foundation
  • Space Foundation
  • NASA

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