The Moore County Airport is spreading its wings as a community education resource.
The airport is working on two fronts to improve its use as a center for learning. It is helping Sandhills Community College start an associate’s degree program for pilots and is joining forces with Moore County Schools to offer elementary and middle school students an introduction to the world of flight.
A pair of aviation-themed STEM camps at New Century Middle School this summer will expose students to flight simulation, drone racing, 3-D wing design and rocketry. The camps are open to rising 3-8 grade students and will also include a First Tech Challenge robotics component for students entering grades 8-10.
The school district’s STEM summer programs, which explore science, technology, engineering and math, have taken off in popularity over the last four years, usually filling well before the first day of camp.
Moore County Schools’ digital integration facilitators will lead students through hands-on projects. Over the course of the four days, campers will test their wing designs in a wind tunnel and improve upon them, build rockets safe enough to land without breaking an egg and program drones to maneuver without human input.
“It’s cool to see the kids come up with an idea, come up with a problem, and figure out a way to solve it using some pretty simple things with complex thought,” said DIF Tyler Callahan. “If you give them the tools, they’re going to take it and run with it even though it might not be in the direction you thought they would. You can see the growth in a week.”
For the grand finale, campers will tour the Moore County Airport. Volunteer pilots will be on hand to give tours of the county at a few thousand feet.
“They’re going to meet with all the different types of people who work there: aviation mechanics, pilots, flight control, and parents will have the option of sticking around and having the kids go up for a flight ,” said Steve Johnson, Moore County Schools’ assistant technology director.
“We’ve never done anything with the airport like this — some of our people didn’t even know the airport was there — so we’re excited.”
Though the aviation camps are the first contact for the airport and public schools, officials on both sides are eyeing opportunities for that partnership to evolve. Moore County Schools’ Advanced Career Center, which will specialize in teaching high school students skilled trades, is scheduled to open adjacent to Sandhills Community College in 2019.
Bob Zschoche“We would like to expand our community involvement,” said Bob Zschoche, chairman of the airport authority. “(Authority member) Mike Jones has taken the lead in talking with the schools about how the airport could offer scholarships for young people to come to the airport and learn how to fly.”
The airport could begin that effort as early as 2018, with the goal of reaching high school students from throughout Moore County. Students can qualify for a pilot’s license at age 16 and begin learning under a qualified flight instructor even earlier.
“We’re trying to generate interest and reach out to kids who might not otherwise have the opportunity,” said Zschoche. “Not everybody’s going to end up being a 747 pilot, but you’ve got to start somewhere.”
In a planning retreat this past week, the Moore County Airport Authority reaffirmed its commitment to the associate’s degree program for professional pilots that Sandhills Community College has been considering for several years. The authority earmarked $20,000 to support the necessary preparations, which could involve adding instructors and upgrading its available aircraft.
That program was scheduled to begin this fall, but the college put it on hold after Steve Borden’s resignation as executive director. Since Borden’s departure and the resignation of airport authority member Bill Bateman, the authority in December hired Greg Hudson as interim director. Last week, Moore County’s commissioners appointed Partners in Progress Executive Director Pat Corso to serve out the remainder of Bateman’s term.
“We have maintained all along that we have the funds in our fund balance to support whatever it is that is the right thing to do for the community,” said Zschoche. “As far as what that means in terms of the exact start date of the program, we don’t know at this point.”
Sandhills is considering a pilot training program in response to a national shortage already straining lower-paying regional carriers. Currently, only three North Carolina community colleges offer commercial pilot training: Guilford Technical, Asheville-Buncombe Technical and Lenoir.
Moore County Schools will open registration for 2017 STEM camps on March 13. This year’s camps will be held from June 19-22 and June 26-29, both at New Century.
The school district started the camps with a $2.1 million grant from the Mebane Foundation. With the expiration of that funding, the schools have continued the camps with a $160 fee attached. The fee includes lunch each day and a T-shirt.
Scholarship slots are available, on a first come first served basis, for up to 30 students who demonstrate financial need. The registration link will be available at ncmcs.org/stemcamp.
Source: http://www.thepilot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment