Aviation High School Launches Next Era; Breaking Ground on New Campus at The Museum of Flight

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AVIATION HIGH SCHOOL LAUNCHES NEXT ERA; BREAKING GROUND ON NEW CAMPUS AT MUSEUM OF FLIGHT

(SEATTLE, Aug. 23, 2011) – Aviation High School today launched its next era as they celebrated their planned new, $43.5 million campus at The Museum of Flight with a groundbreaking that included five planes piloted by Aviation High School alumni, a student-built robot assisting with the first shovel of dirt and a symbolic, student-designed rocket launch.

“Today’s groundbreaking represents a giant step forward in securing the future of Aviation High School,” said AHS Principal Reba Gilman. “Since the school’s founding in 2004, we have dreamed of having a permanent home on a campus such as this one at The Museum of Flight.  We could not be more thrilled to partner with the Museum, whose mission mirrors our own—to inspire and prepare students to pursue education and career pathways in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to fulfill the critical gaps in our nation’s workforce.”  

Aviation High School has operated out of two temporary locations since its inception in 2004. The new facility is being built on East Marginal Way, across the street from the main Museum of Flight campus and just north of the Museum’s outdoor airpark and brand, new space gallery.

“We are honored to welcome Aviation High School to our campus at The Museum of Flight,” said Museum of Flight President and CEO Doug King. “We have always been committed to educating the next generation of great aviation and aerospace pioneers, serving over 140,000 students a year through our education programs. This partnership allows us to continue this great effort and inspire these engineers of the future.”

Aviation High School was the first college preparatory aviation-themed high school in the nation. It is a school where all subjects are taught in the context of aviation, with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.  Although Aviation High School is part of the Highline Public School District, it is open to students all across the region. Last year, approximately 50 percent of the AHS student body came from the local area with the rest from surrounding districts as far away as Olympia, Everett, and Bremerton.

“The Highline School District is proud to call Aviation High School one of our own,” said Highline School District Superintendent John Welch. “This school and its commitment to science, technology, engineering and math and simultaneously preparing all students for college and work make it unlike any other school in Washington state.”

At the end of the groundbreaking program, Aviation High School students launched a model rocket to signify the official “launch” of the new Aviation High School. The new school is expected to open for students in 2013.

For more information on Aviation High School and The Museum of Flight, please contact Mike Bush at
 (253) 307-3225, mbush@museumofflight.org or Lee Keller at (206) 799-3805, lee@thekellergroup.com.

Aviation High School (AHS) is the only college preparatory aviation-themed high school in the Northwest. It offers science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education to a student body of 400 students in grades 9-12. In 2009 and 2010, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction awarded AHS with the Washington Achievement Award. For more information, please visit www.aviationhs.org.

The Museum of Flight exists to acquire, preserve, and exhibit historically significant air and space artifacts, which provide a foundation for scholarly research, and lifelong learning programs that inspire an interest in and understanding of science, technology, and the humanities. For more information, please visit www.museumofflight.org.

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