A 17-year-old Boston Public Schools student took the skies on Monday, flying a plane for the first time. Messiah Dennison is part of Boston STEM Flight Academy and carefully went through his flight safety check with his instructor.

The two departed from Norwood Airport for a 45-minute discovery flight over Gillette Stadium and back, and from take-off to landing it was a smooth trip.

“I just flew a plane,” Dennison said.  He’s beaming from ear to ear because for the first time he was able to see his future as clear as the sky above. “I can’t compare it to anything. Something I never experienced before and it’s unique and made me want to do it again,” he said.

Dennison got introduced to Boston STEM Flight Academy at his high school, Another Course to College in Hyde Park. “I think it’s really great actually, because it helps our students get exposed to new opportunities that they normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to be exposed to,” Another Course to College Head of School Demitri Curry said.

Founder Marcus James said Dennison is one of those students who never missed an aviation class. “I got to say Messiah, this kid is very exciting to watch in class, and we figured he was perfect for this flight today,” James said.

The students have been practicing flying this route from Norwood to Boston and to Foxboro on a simulator twice a week for the past two months. “We flew over Gillette Stadium, that was great. Everything felt so small, and I was enjoying it,” Dennison said. He said this experience has changed his perspective of what he can achieve in life and believes aviation is the path for him.

“Before I took the flight I couldn’t see it. Now I can envision it. Growing up in Boston you see the same thing every day. And being able to see myself doing something this cool opened the gateway for a lot of cool things,” Dennison said.

His mother watched nervously but proudly. “I’m very proud of him, this is his first time flying a plane ever, so I am proud he had this big opportunity,” she said.

James says he hopes Boston STEM Academy will help deal with the nation’s pilot shortage and plans to expand the program to other public schools in underserved communities. “By 2030 we need about 10,000 pilots. I want them to know the sky’s the limit, and they can do anything they would like to do the opportunity is available to them,” James said.

And Dennison got a real hands-on bird’s eye view of what he can achieve. “If you are going to give me the opportunity to do something great, why not be great,” he said.

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen at the tail end of the 2025 NFL season amidst struggles at the position. Thielen had returned to the Minnesota Vikings in 2025, the team that drafted him for which he carved out a very respectable career before signing with the Carolina Panthers in 2023.

Thielen appeared in five regular season games with the Steelers, catching 11 passes. He joined Good Morning Football on Monday and was asked about his experience in Pittsburgh, to which he couldn’t say enough nice things.

“What an amazing experience,” Thielen said. “First of all, just to experience the Pittsburgh Steelers organization. it was so cool to see it first hand. You hear a lot about it, you play against it, but you don’t really understand it until you get in that building. You just feel the culture and just kind of see how it’s different. It’s a family-owned business and it’s got that family aspect to it that they’re always in the building, they’re always around – it’s a really cool place.”

Thielen then discussed his time with Aaron Rodgers, and praised the four-time MVP for his approach to the game.

“Being around Aaron, I’ve known him for a long time,” Thielen said. “Played a lot of golf with him, built a strong relationship with him outside of football. But to seem in the building and in practice and his communication and the way he does things and his detail, it really showed me why he’s been so great for so long. A lot of times… you just think, ‘Oh, they’re really skilled…‘ these guys are great and separate themselves because of their process. He treated every single practice like it was the Super Bowl. it was unbelievable to see first hand just how hard he practiced, what it meant to him, how much communication there was through the week of trying to get everybody on the same page – whether that be coaches or players. So it was really cool to see that first hand and get to know him on the football side of things.”

Thielen retired after the 2025 season, finishing his career with 704 catches for 8,497 yards and 64 touchdowns.

Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!

by Laura Tillman, CT Mirror
June 8, 2026

Connecticut moved up in a national ranking that uses data to rate how well children are doing state-to-state, moving from eighth to seventh place.

The 2026 Kids Count is compiled by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and state partners like Connecticut Voices for Children and uses 16 indicators in four different categories to assess how well kids are doing — economically and scholastically, as members of families and communities, as well as their physical health.

The dataset, which analyzes 2024 data, rated Connecticut highly in education and health, ranking third and fourth respectively. But Connecticut continues to place closer to the middle of the pack in the categories of economic well-being and family and community, at 20th and 18th in the nation.

Overall, New Hampshire ranked first in the nation while Mississippi came in last.

“Behind every number in this report is a child who is either hungry or fed, housed or homeless, progressing academically or falling behind. No state is consistently getting this right,” said Lisa M. Lawson, president and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “The Data Book challenges us to follow the evidence and do what delivers results.”

Connecticut’s 2024 data was measured against numbers from 2019. While most measures didn’t see a significant change, there were some small shifts. That included a slight increase in the number of low birth weight babies, from 7.8% to 8.1%, and more teens not in school and not working — from 4 to 5%. Despite Connecticut’s strong educational ranking, the numbers in that area also slid back — 40% of pre-K aged kids were not in school, compared to a previous measurement of 35%; more fourth-graders were not proficient in reading, up to 64% from 60%; and more eighth-graders were not proficient in math, 68% compared to 61%.

“Connecticut’s overall high ranking is something to be proud of but evidence we are not doing enough — we must engage in big, bold policy changes that advance economic security for all families, not just the privileged and lucky few,” said Emily Byrne, executive director of Connecticut Voices for Children. “The data show both the impact of investments that support children and families and the consequences of longstanding status quo budgets that don’t address equity and opportunity.”

Byrne said that Connecticut has a “moral responsibility” to support families by strengthening the social safety net and investing in policies that benefit all children.

This year, the Kids Count report includes an overall numerical score between 0 and 1000. Connecticut scored 708 — well above the national average of 547. But Connecticut’s score also dropped compared to how the Annie E. Casey Foundation rated it during 2019, when it was rated 727. The Foundation said that 2019 was chosen as a basis of comparison because it represents how kids were faring pre-COVID. The numerical ranking is intended to help make more visible how states are improving or declining on metrics independent of how they rank against other states.

By those scores, kids fared worse in 2024 than they did in 2019, with much of this decline driven by education. Connecticut’s educational data improved in only one metric between 2019 and 2024: slightly more high school students are graduating on time. And, despite its mediocre ranking on economic outcomes, Connecticut’s metrics improved in three of four economic categories, with fewer children living in poverty, fewer children whose parents lack secure employment and fewer children living in households with a high housing cost burden compared to 2019 figures.

Data on the decreasing share of young children not in school is notable as Connecticut embarks on an ambitious plan to fund early childhood education for low-income families with an endowment. Under that plan, which Gov. Ned Lamont has said is central to his legacy, families making less than $100,000 per year would pay nothing for pre-K, while families making more than that would contribute up to 7% of their household income.

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