Lincoln Public Schools receive large donation from Duncan Aviation
The donation will provide a new facility for North Star’s aviation program
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The airline industry says the number of employees they’ll need within the next ten years is alarming. That’s why Lincoln Public Schools and Duncan Aviation are teaming up to expose students to a variety of aviation careers.
LPS received $3,335,000 from Duncan Aviation to expand facilities for its Aviation and Technical Education Focus Program.
North Star High School started aviation classes during the 2019-2020 school year. They offer three different courses and have been able to improve and expand projects each semester, but they quickly ran out of space.
“With the new building and new facilities, we’re going to be able to get equipment that is going to make the lab opportunities and the hands-on opportunities in this class to be really really in line with what is happening in industry,” Amanda Woodward, the shop teacher at North Star said.
Alongside the donation, comes a partnership between Duncan Aviation and North Star High School. The two sides will consult with each other, and Duncan will provide internship opportunities for LPS students. The internships will put several seniors on track to major in an aviation-related field.
“I never really thought about aviation being a career for me, so I’m like, why not, I’ll give it a shot, so I got the interview, and I got in, and ever since I started that, I have been very, very invested in aviation,” North Star Senior Sydney Miller said.
Trinity Hamilton, also a senior at North Star, said, “It’s just a unique opportunity, and I’m really glad I got to have it because we got to experience different departments all throughout Duncan besides just what I want to go into which I think is really important.”
Woodward said if it wasn’t for Duncan Aviation being a ready and willing partner, they wouldn’t be able to make these courses happen.
“This partnership with them has really been the foundation with making this successful with students and for me to be successful in getting the education I needed,” Woodward said.
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