HomeMy WebLinkAboutSVHS teacher O'ConnorTo whom it may concern,
I teach the new aviation curriculum at Susitna Valley High School. One reason it is
becoming so valuable to Susitna Valley is that it is an entry into a career strand. By the
end of this year, students will have completed the ground school preparation toward
private pilot certification. They will also have had many opportunities to begin flying
lessons from generous local pilots. The Build-a-Plane project in the community is
simultaneously providing entry into the aviation maintenance aspect of the industry. The
skills and networking contacts of the involved students seem to be growing
exponentially.
The proposed Susitna Valley High School Research Forest stands to offer similar career
opportunities to local student in the natural resources. Natural resource management is
not as developed an industry as aviation in the area. However, training students to
manage the forest that provides them fish and game resources and forest products offers
both great career training and the prospect of land sustainably and professionally
managed by its inhabitants.
The residents of the Upper Susitna community often sacrifice the prospect of well paying
jobs for the quality of life offered by the area. As young people move away after high
school, they often move back to take those low paying jobs. Susitna Valley Jr./Sr. High
school has taken it as a mission to provide career training for its students to provide a
clear, bright future to its graduates. Hopefully the Susitna Valley High School Research
Forest will one of Su Valley’s classrooms of the future.
Sincerely,
Ed O’Connor