Twelve Student Authors, One Aircraft Carrier: Wings of the Hornet Begins
On Saturday evening, twelve high school students sat down together for the first working meeting of Wings of the Hornet — a book about the airmen and aircraft of CV-8 and CV-12 in the Pacific War, researched and written by students, heading for a real publisher in April 2027.
The authors
Bryan Ma · Kellyn Hu · Angela Tang · Alexandra Liu · Annie Wang · Selena Zhang · Roland Wang · Jiayu Gu · Shawn Zeng · Irene Lin · Elaine Zhao · Michael Tang
Nine were in the room. Three had marching band, a journalism event and a prior commitment — which is what a Saturday night in October looks like for a high school junior, and is why the team now meets weekly online as well.
The people they are working with
Dr. Hsiao-ting Lin of Stanford University and George Retelas, Historic Advisor and Editor at the USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum, are mentoring the project. George has spent years aboard the Hornet as a volunteer and staff member. Dr. Lin is writing the foreword.
What the year looks like
This is not a term project. The schedule runs to the middle of 2027:
- October 25 — the student authors present a free public workshop at Cupertino Library, teaching how history research actually works
- Thanksgiving break — first drafts due, alongside an overnight research residency aboard the Hornet
- December — an optional formal internship with the USS Hornet Museum
- Mid-January 2027 — manuscript to the publisher. A hard deadline
- January to March — editing rounds
- From March — printing
- Summer 2027 onward — book talks and tours
Why it works
Everything the students find feeds a book that will carry their names. Not a mock-up, not a class anthology — a book with an ISBN, going to a publisher, with a tour afterwards.
CPM students have done this before. One Way Mission: The Doolittle Raid and the Chinese Rescue was written by nine CPM students, published in August 2026, and launched aboard the USS Hornet.
The workshop on October 25 is free and open to everyone.
Cupertino Library, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
cpmentorship.org/events/history-research-workshop-hornet
CompassPoint Mentorship is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 46-2389059.
