The Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission partnered with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and Southeastern Oklahoma State University Aviation on July 19, 2022, to offer an inaugural aerospace leadership conference for Oklahoma school superintendents and high school counselors.
The “Supt-Co” Aviation Expo was designed to offer support to the 57 schools across the state implementing the AOPA “You Can Fly” High School Aviation Curriculum in the 2022-2023 school year.
The curriculum, which offers both a Pilot Pathway and a UAS (drone) Pathway of learning for students, is offered free to schools by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Foundation.
“We are so pleased to have the opportunity to work with school superintendents and counselors from across the state as they work to prepare students to enter post-secondary aviation programs and Oklahoma’s aerospace industry,” stated Paula Kedy, Aerospace, and Aviation Education Coordinator. “The conference will provide partnerships with the Choctaw Nation and the Southeastern Aviation Sciences Institute to offer a series of breakout sessions and hands-on activities for school leaders that will increase their ability to implement aerospace programs.”
Last week, over 70 teachers met at the University of Oklahoma to celebrate the growth of aviation and aerospace education in the state and to discuss ways to partner in the building of programs to ensure the growth of Oklahoma’s aviation, aerospace and defense industry workforce. Oklahoma Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell announced the state leads the nation in the number of schools approved to teach the AOPA high school aviation curriculum.
AOPA’s You Can Fly initiative is all about building the aviation community, getting more people into the skies, and keeping them there. The centerpiece of You Can Fly is the unique and free High School STEM Curriculum, ensuring that all of aviation has a bright future.
In the past school year, more than 12,000 students in 1,000 classrooms across the country, in all four grades, took the curriculum and learned about exciting opportunities in aviation.