Flying an airplane simulator. Navigating drones through obstacles. Programming robots. These are just a few of the opportunities afforded to students in the iFly Aviation class, offered exclusively at Austin Middle School.
iFly is an introductory course to the School of Aviation pathway offered at Austin’s feeder school, Irving High School, and is a product of the district’s expansion of career and technical education at the middle-school level.
“Middle school students don’t necessarily get these opportunities,” says Titus Ross, course instructor. “It’s important to expose the kids to different skill sets. It allows you to go into different areas, not just in aviation … That’s very, very key. They don’t really get the chance to see that. So I am really happy to offer that here.”
Students like Johnathan Medina, an eighth grader at Austin, are grateful for the opportunity.
“The iFly class has been really great for me,” he says. “My favorite part is that you can experience a lot of things from driving a car to flying an airplane and so many other things.”
To learn more about Irving ISD career and technical courses at the middle- and high- school levels, visit IrvingISD.net/SignatureStudies.
