Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Career Technical Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
West Clermont highlights new aviation, cybersecurity and leadership courses for 2025–26
Summary
Administrators presented a package of new high school courses for 2025–26 — including advanced aviation pathways, unmanned aircraft systems, cybersecurity, leadership development and a senior capstone — and described a partnership with Sporty's Pilot Shop and FAA-aligned assessments.
The West Clermont School Board heard a presentation Jan. 13 on proposed new high school courses for the 2025–26 school year, including expanded aviation offerings, cybersecurity programming, leadership-development coursework tied to the district’s Leader in Me initiative, and a senior capstone experience.
The district said two follow-on aviation courses would build from the current Introduction to Aviation class: one focused on unmanned aircraft systems (drones) and another aimed at piloting and pilot license preparation. District staff said the aviation courses include Federal Aviation Administration assessments and that the program is supported through a partnership with Sporty's Pilot Shop. Sporty's chairman and CEO Michael Wolf described a multi-year pathway where students study aviation fundamentals and then select a pathway such as piloting or aircraft maintenance; Sporty's representatives and local teachers provide professional development and connections to flight instructors.
Curriculum staff also described a new cybersecurity sequence and said sector demand is large: the presenter said there are “over 1,000,000 unfilled jobs” in cyber globally and roughly 750,000 in the United States today, and that one speaker forecast the shortfall could exceed 3.5 million in the coming years. The district said cybersecurity classes will prepare students to take industry assessments and gain direct workforce entry or postsecondary credit.
Other proposed courses include freshman-level leadership tied to the 7 Habits curriculum paired with a health course, leadership labs for upperclassmen, and a senior capstone intended initially for students in the district’s WolfLab program. The superintendent and curriculum staff said the capstone is not currently a graduation requirement; it will be piloted with WolfLab students first and may be scaled after lessons learned. Administrators said the new courses are intended to be scheduled within existing staff allocations and not to increase full-time-equivalent staff counts.
Teacher Mitch Farmer, who teaches aerospace at West Clermont High School, described year-one classroom experience and Sporty's support for staff development. Students interviewed in a district video and during the meeting described hands-on learning and pathways to college, technical careers and industry credentials. Michael Wolf of Sporty's said the program emphasizes multiple career outcomes, including pilots, mechanics and UAS (drone) operators, and noted a shortage of aircraft mechanics.
No final board vote on course approvals was recorded in the Jan. 13 meeting minutes; administrators presented the curricula and answered board questions on scheduling, crediting and staffing.
Why it matters: The courses — aviation with FAA-aligned assessments, cybersecurity training and a senior capstone — aim to expand career-technical pathways available in high school and to align instruction with industry needs.
