Ada City School District celebrates 5th year of Aviation Education with a new grant from the Aeronautics Commission
OKLAHOMA CITY – Fifty organizations were awarded Aerospace and Aviation Education Program grants totaling over $365,000 at the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission’s (OAC) August meeting. Grants are for targeted learning programs that have a direct application to aerospace and aviation for primary through post-secondary education. The grant funds are part of the agency’s initiative to give more Oklahoma young people access to STEM careers in the aerospace and aviation industry.
The commission approved an education grant for Ada City School District for the program "The Sky is Not the Limit: Cruising Altitude". The district-wide aviation program is designed to build necessary skills in science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on activities and flight simulation at the aviation laboratories on the Ada High School and Ada Junior High School campuses using the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association curriculum. The goal of the program is to ensure district students have an awareness that STEM skills can lead to high-demand careers in the field of aviation. Five years ago, Ada City School District was one of 29 schools in the nation selected to field test an aviation curriculum developed by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the program has grown each year since. It is estimated that 2,300 students will participate in the program and the amount granted by the commission was $12,220.
“Ada schools are entering their fifth year of this amazing aerospace and aviation education program, thanks to grants provided by the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission,” said Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada. “By getting students interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), it can help lay the groundwork for some of the best paying careers there are, building a better future for themselves and our state.”
The commission also approved a $1,750 education grant for the “OK is Aviation ECU Tigers can Fly” program for 6th – 12th-grade students. This one-day summer camp at East Central University in Ada will introduce students to careers, opportunities, training & curriculum for aviation.
The Aerospace and Aviation Education Grant Program has been awarding aviation education grants for over 30 years. Charged with the mission by state statute, the Commission fosters and encourages students to consider aerospace or aviation as a career. The Commission’s grant program has years of positive results. The initiative supports the Oklahoma Works project that aims to address the skills gap and connect students to programs that will help build the workforce of Oklahoma’s second-largest industry.
“Seeing the growth of the Aviation Program in Ada City Schools has been exciting! From students and teachers getting and working on their pilot license to others going to college to work in the aviation field. With the growth of Aviation and Aeronautics industries in Oklahoma, it's important our students have an introduction to those industries. That's exactly what the grant has allowed Ada City Schools to do,” said Rep. Ronny Johns, R-Ada.
The OAC’s nationally recognized program enjoys a positive reputation as one of the most robust aviation education programs among state aviation agencies. For the 2021-22 school year, Oklahoma will rank #3 in the country in the number of schools teaching the AOPA curriculum. Since FY2001, the Commission has awarded $4.15 million in aerospace and aviation education grants.
“OAC is proud to assist the Ada City School District in its fifth year as a grant recipient of our aviation education grant program. Ada has been a model school for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) aviation course curriculum,” said Paula Kedy, MA. Ed., Aerospace and Aviation Education Coordinator for the commission.
Watch the full meeting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfvqUmcWmrY&t=15s.