MT VERNON — With the new education center, Amplify Hancock, in the works to be ready for fall of 2026, students of Mt. Vernon High School (MVHS) have shared their experiences in the aviation class — a dual credit class offered to all school districts, which will also be available at the education center.
Maria Downs and Tyler Black, both seniors at Mt. Vernon High School, are two of the 17 students in the aviation class. In total, the class has eight Mt. Vernon students, four Greenfield-Central students, three New Palestine students and two Morristown students.
Stan Wilkinson, current vice principal for MVHS and future director of the education center, said that the number for the class has doubled in the past couple of years. The class was first offered for the 2018-19 school year.
Downs said that what drew her to this class is her interest in aviation and being a pilot but also going into a class knowing nothing about the subject.
Black agreed and said that before he didn’t know how much there was to learn about aviation, but there’s a lot.
By taking this class, Downs and Black have been able to go to the air show, meet professional pilots and learn about the different kinds of planes while also volunteering.
They have also met different professionals in the aviation field, such as an aviation lawyer, a pilot for Republic, air traffic controllers and more.
“That’s helped so much because they showed us how they got to where they were and what they had to go through,” Downs said. “It’s been cool to see all the different jobs because it’s not just only being a pilot.”
For Katelin Nading, Ivy Tech Faculty/Aviation Instructor at Mt. Vernon High School, this is her first year teaching the class and said that with this class, student interest varies.
“Students really want to be in the plane flying. Most are confident that they want to be a professional pilot or, at minimum, pursue a career in the aviation field, whether that’s maintenance, air traffic control, airport management, or aircraft engineering,” Nading said.
Downs said that with this class and Nading, it has helped her solidify what she wants to do after she graduates — flight school.
Black said that he’s always considered the option of pilot, but didn’t lean toward it as much until learning what he has in the class.
“Just information you wouldn’t hear anywhere else, it has just made me want to do that a lot more and I’m kind of looking forward to going into that,” Black said.
With the growing interest and enthusiasm from not just students but the community, Nading says it’s just a matter of getting the resources needed to tie together the class work with the flying the airplane part.
“Mt. Vernon High School (MVHS) and the school district seem to be really open to this program expanding and improving as much as it needs to in the future. I really enjoy working at MVHS and hope to see the aviation program grow in the years to come, and I really think it will,” Nading said. “It’s amazing to see students who really did not think this career track would be realistic for them at the beginning of the year growing into confident, enthusiastic budding aviators.”
Wilkinson said they are currently working on a guide, mvhs.mvcsc.k12.in.us/pathways, for students and families to look at that will show all classes and courses within a field offered — ones that eventually will be located at the new facility.
