STARBASE coming to Cannon AFB

The U.S. Department of Defense will be establishing a “STARBASE” program at Cannon Air Force Base. It’s an acronym for Science and Technology Academies Reinforcing Basic Aviation and Space Exploration and community leaders are excited about the possibilities.

The announcement came Friday from the office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.

STARBASE allows kindergarten through 12th-grade students to participate in hands-on curriculum with military installations where they solve scientific challenges related to aerospace.

Students in the STARBASE program “learn the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills in real world situations and develop essential math and science fundamentals, while fostering positive relationships between military bases and their surrounding communities,” according to a news release from Heinrich’s office.

Clovis schools Superintendent Renee Russ said she was “thrilled” with the announcement.

STARBASE “aligns perfectly with our educational goals and will provide our students with invaluable exposure to hands-on, inquiry-based learning opportunities,” she wrote in an email to The News.  

“Moreover, we believe the STARBASE program will complement our ongoing efforts to enhance Career and Technical Education courses and pathways, ultimately increasing both career and college readiness among our students.”

Capt. Jackie Pienkowski, chief of public affairs at Cannon, said a date for implementation has not been established, but “Our hope is that it’s up and running by January,” she wrote in a text to The News.

She said the Department of Defense, about three weeks ago, notified Cannon that a STARBASE program had been approved. “Once a site is approved, then additional planning begins to implement the program. That planning is in its infancy stages,” she said.

The program is expected to add “a few” personnel to Cannon.

“We visited two STARBASE locations last fall and each had about three to five people who ran the location,” Pienkowski said.

Ladona Clayton, leader of the Education Committee for Cannon’s support group Committee of Fifty, called the program “a big win for Cannon and our community.”

“I am excited that this STARBASE program, which will provide our elementary school students with a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education, is going to be available through Cannon.”

Clovis Mayor Mike Morris wrote in a text, “The STARBASE program is another example of the great value of the Clovis/ Cannon partnership.”

He said he’s “thrilled that local students will have the opportunity to experience STARBASE and will benefit from the Department of Defense’s wealth of expertise in STEM career fields.”  

Cannon supporter and Clovis businessman Sid Strebeck said one thing he likes about the program is every fifth-grader will get to tour the base annually.

Heinrich said he wrote to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in January supporting Cannon becoming a new location for the STARBASE program. 

“The Clovis community and Cannon AFB have long shared a close and warm relationship. The dedicated teachers and staff of the surrounding schools and our military families work tirelessly so that our students have as many opportunities afforded to them as possible. I firmly believe that Cannon AFB and the Clovis community will benefit greatly from having a STARBASE program,” Heinrich said.

Heinrich noted “the breadth of opportunities that will come from this program for our most at-risk students cannot be understated.”

STARBASE has benefited more than 1.6 million students from 36 states and territories, Heinrich said.

New Mexico locations also exist at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque and Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo.