Take Flight

February 7, 2025

It's an exciting time at school as we begin 2nd semester and begin planning for the Class of 2025's graduation and next year's classes. As always, it is busy in the hangar.

If you would like to visit, please send me an email at brobinson@sau88.net

All the best,

Bonnie

We spoke about this event in our last newsletter, but we wanted to share this nice picture of Ian and Mallory with retiring Board President, Bob DiMeo.

Mallory made to the podium in her recent nordic skiing race-

the Concord Classic at Waterville Valley.

Congratulations!

This is one of my favorite photos from the hangar. Consider all the work that has gone into putting the tail cone together!

On Monday, February 3rd, a new group of students visited the hangar. They are interested in applying for a spot in next year's program. Since our current group of students continues to make amazing progress, our new class will start from scratch, just like we did this year, with their own plane. It is a competitive process, and we know that some students will be disappointed, but all should keep in mind that they are eligible to participate in grades 10, 11, and 12.

We anticipate that the current plane will be approximately 80% complete by the end of this year. Our friends at Tango Flight are very proud of this progress. Since the work left to do will represent a small area of the plane, we invited our current students back for Take Flight 2 that will only meet for one period. Sadly, our seniors will be gone, but we are impressed with our current sophomores and juniors' dedication to the project.

We just imagine the day that we move it to the airport, put it through the inspection process, and watch it take off! We will plan a community celebration for that event.

• I want to continue networking and learning about how I can be involved in aviation after high school. I also love the community that we’ve built in the hangar and want to continue to be a part of it.
• For the past few months, my experience in Take Flight, and I’m sure the experience for many others has been unlike anything else. It is a period that I look forward to each and every day
• So far it has been a fantastic experience. I have learned many career specific skills about engineering, aviation, and manufacturing as well as life skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and attention to detail. A second year of take flight would give me the opportunity to see this project through from start to finish as well as help me to continue growing these skills. For the remainder of this year and next year, I would like to strengthen connections with the mentors and network. I believe that is a fantastic way to gain experience in this field.

• I would love to continue to take flight for many reasons. I love how it is all hands on but we have some learning in the first couple of minutes of class. I have had a great experience and I have learned a lot from mentors who have guided me through using new tools and techniques. I came into the program almost blind to aviation and having very little knowledge of tools and such but the mentors and teachers and even my peers have helped me enormously. I also did not love group work very much when I first started but now I really do enjoy working with others.

• In the hangar, I am not just learning how to building an airplane, but also how to work with a team to accomplish our goals. This concept of teamwork is not only applicable to the airplane, but also to every other endeavor involving teamwork that I may embark on. I hope to build on these skills as I continue in my journey with this plane. Take Flight has been the most challenging class I’ve taken this year, and yet it is the most fun. With Take Flight 2, I am excited to finish what we have started, to see this project that we have worked on for so long finished. I also hope to mentor the students in the new Take Flight so that they can build their own futures in the same way I did.

• The class was fun and such an experience. I've learned a lot through the class and continue to learn new things and ways to get through the class. Take Flight has opened many possible career options in the future.

• I have been really enjoying the class so far. The recent trip to the airport was really fun. I look forward to the class because it is the only class I have which has hands-on elements. I also really like the method of teaching. Both the slides at the beginning of class and learning firsthand from the mentors is super different than my other classes and I have been enjoying it.

None of this would be possible without the community mentors. We hope that all of them will continue next year!

Take Flight continues to generate a great deal of interest.

• LHS is currently involved in a process to be named a New Hampshire School of Excellence. A group from LHS gave this presentation in Concord on January 24th, and we were advanced to the next round. You will see several Take Flight photos in the presentation along with all the other things going on at LHS.
• Next on our list is a Take Flight presentation to the New Hampshire Board of Education. Superintendent Amy Allen will accompany us as the whole group heads to Concord to show what is possible in NH public education.
• We will also be presenting to the Lebanon School Board on February 26th.
  

8.25.24, 9.3.24, 9.11.24, 9.18.24, 10.1.24, 10.14.24, 10.29.24, 11.7.24, 11.21.24, 12.7.24, 12.19.24, 1.2.25, 1.13.25, 1.24.25, 2.7.25

As always, feel free to share this newsletter, introduce us to anyone who is interested and/or would like to contribute in any way, and let me know if you'd like stop by the hangar to see our students at work.