ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® celebrates that the first field session of the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology reached nine New York City area educators, but the ripple effects will reach thousands of students. The session was held at the Staten Island Technical High School, home of a thriving and active amateur radio club. It was led in part by Everton Henriques, KD2ZZT, an educator at the school and TI graduate. In August 2024, 49 of Henriques’ students earned their licenses.

All 9 teachers came away with their amateur licenses (if they didn’t already have one), along with the training, knowledge, and excitement to integrate amateur radio into their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics lessons. ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve Goodgame, K5ATA, says the results seen in hundreds of classrooms across the country speak for themselves. “Amateur radio is a great platform upon which students can learn and experiment with STEM areas of instruction. It allows students to participate in hands-on activities that give meaningful connections to lessons that would normally be abstract in the classroom,” he said.

The ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology is funded entirely by donations to the ARRL Education & Technology Fund. No member dues go toward the program. The success that teachers across the country are seeing is a result of hundreds of donors trusting ARRL to invest in the future of the hobby through educating and inspiring the next generation of hams. The program is free to educators.

Many of these success stories are highlighted in the Radio Waves publication. Radio Waves aims to showcase how educators and license class instructors are getting their students and local communities involved in ham radio. Editions may be read online, or members can sign up for e-mail delivery at www.arrl.org/radio-waves.

“We are seeing results of the work we’ve put into this program. Young people are getting inspired, licensed, and active in amateur radio,” said Goodgame. “The time we commit to this will pay dividends to the hobby for generations to come.”

Other sessions are planned for Texas and the Southeast during 2025. Interested educators are encouraged to apply. Learn more at www.arrl.org/ti.