South Kent News

A new elective course inspired by student fascination with drones and strong career prospects was unveiled at a recent meeting of the Grandville Board of Education.

Aeronautics will be the subject of the new course and could potentially cover a high school student’s technology course requirement or their fourth year of math requirement.

Principal Adam Lancto and Instructional Technology Coach Chris Groenhout presented the course, which came about as a result of growing student interest in drone operations.

“Of course, in industry support, there's a lot of people around us that want to help because they need kids that know something about aviation, aerospace and so forth. Some of the career paths that are out there, that are just new and emerging. We're trying to set kids up for a successful future,” Groenhout said. 

At the Feb. 6 meeting, the technology coach stressed the need to keep pace with job demands.

“And these things are just new, and we need to try to evolve and adapt to a changing workforce," he said. "You know, getting these kids this experience early in high school is going to give them a foot forward."

Preparing Grandville students at the high school levels fits right in with the opportunities that abound in Michigan for those with the right training, and Grandville will be one of the few public schools offering aviation classes, he said.

"We have one of the best aviation schools in the country right here in Western Michigan and they are, you know, a top-rated school for aviation. We have a high demand for drone jobs in Michigan, not just flying the drones, but all the technology behind it,” Groenhout said.

To make it happen, Grandville High School is getting state-approved curriculum from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), huge supporters of this elective in public schools. The district also has applied for a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and hopes soon to receive $250,000.

The course would be split into two semesters. The first semester involves learning the basics of flight, weather, map reading and general aviation rules and lessons. The second semester gives students a choice of two career paths: either flight planning and moving toward getting their pilot’s license, or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) operations and working with operating drones.

At the end of the course, students will be able to take the certification test for the path that they chose in the second semester. Excited to help interested students learn about aeronautics, the board unanimously approved the course that is scheduled to begin next school year.

As discussed at the meeting, there is an ever-expanding need for drone operators in all industries: military, construction, environmental, land research, film and video, real estate, law enforcement and transportation, just to name a few.