Migrant students in Kent City Community Schools are learning to fly drones, getting exposure to STEM fields, they otherwise may not.
Until coming to Kent City, eighth-grader Ivan Aguilar-Duarte had never seen a drone, but now has experience operating them.
Learning about drones is part of the Kent City afterschool program for students in families that travel for seasonal work.
Giving the students a glimpse of what they might not otherwise experience is so important, said teacher Jeremy Smith. While other students might have a drone to operate in their home, families that have to work so hard to make ends meet, usually don’t have such things. This might just be the spark that ignites a future.”
These students have great assets, such as being bilingual, adaptable and hardworking. If we can combine these assets with STEM skills, they could solve future world challenges and earn a great living.
Ivan said he gets little exposure to technology when he travels south for the winter, but he may just be the one in which a “spark is ignited.”
“Maybe I’ll do something with technology when I get older,” said Ivan, “– like working with drones.”
Janice Holst for School News Network