New Aspen School District aviation teacher lands in the right place

Kate Short has found a career that fits both of her passions: education and flying.

The Aspen School District (ASD) hired Short as its new aviation and aeronautics instructor on September 30th. With extensive experience in education and aviation, Short feels she has come to the right place.

“I love teaching and I love aviation,” Short said. “So this is the perfect marriage for me.”

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Short previously taught aviation at ASD from 2019-2021. Upon her return, she strives to help students pursue career interests in aviation and instill curiosity in the classroom.

“Students should leave my classes having learned more about the field of aviation and aerospace. That’s what we focus on here,” Short said. “But I also want them to leave each year with curiosity and excitement about what they can do in the coming years or in their future careers.”

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She said she tries to focus primarily on three things in her seventh through 12th grade classes: a passion for aviation, critical thinking and an approach to safety. Successful pilots must be inspired and motivated, and they must be willing to make quick decisions and be safe for themselves and those they take to fly, she said.

She also teaches them the history of flight and works with them on flight simulations at school. If they choose to do so, students will be able to leave the Aspen Flight Academy grounds outside of classes once they turn 14 years old. They will be able to obtain a private pilot certificate by the time they turn 17 years old.

Before aviation, Short received her teaching degree shortly after graduating from college. She has worked in several different positions in education, including running the Sylvan Learning Center, which provides personalized tutoring to students. But she soon found herself at a crossroads in her professional career.

“I was at a point in my life where I was really looking for some opportunities and challenges for personal growth,” Short said.

So she rose into the sky.

Short earned her flight rating and worked as a flight instructor for personal aviation company Cirrus in Dallas and Phoenix. She also worked as a pilot. When she last worked in Aspen, in addition to teaching, she worked at the Aspen Flight Academy, which partners with ASD to help students learn to fly.

Aspen Flight Academy Board President Randall Brodsky said her background in aviation and education makes her unique.

“We need someone who understands what it takes to become a pilot and understands what it means to be a pilot. So the fact that she has her (pilot) license and all this experience makes her kind of a unicorn because she also has a teaching certificate,” Brodsky said. “… She already has all this experience in the school system, especially in our school system.”

Growing up, Short said she didn’t see many women in aviation, which is one of the reasons she delayed a career in the industry until later. She hopes to help change that.

“One of the things I’m always very passionate about is hopefully encouraging other young girls and women to get interested in aviation. This is a sector of the economy in which women are proportionately less involved – it is changing, and that is amazing.” – Short said. “I hope that I can foster a love of aviation in all of my students, but I hope to also be a role model for my students.”

Short said she also wants to expand the program. She helps students apply for scholarships at the Aspen Flight Academy to help cover the cost of flight lessons, which can cost up to $25,000. Funding for the scholarships comes primarily from the Aspen Flight Academy’s annual gala in October, where renowned pilots give speeches.

Getting students into flying through scholarship funding is extremely beneficial to many aspects of a student’s life, whether they want to pursue a career in aviation or not, Brodsky said.

“We hear from all of our students, and these are the words they will use. They say, ‘It changed my life,'” Brodsky said, adding, “The life skills they learn at 16 to become pilots – the discipline, the decision-making that we force on them, the dedication that it takes… these are things they will use throughout their lives.”

Students are drawn from throughout the valley to the ASD aviation program. Basalt resident and Aspen High School senior Griffin Hartley said he decided to attend Aspen to learn how to fly.

“It makes me feel free,” Hartley said, referring to flying. “Not many people choose this career anyway, so it helps me be unique.”

Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at [email protected].