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Student and parent urge Boerne ISD to promote free STEM Flights aviation mentoring program
Summary
A Champion High School junior who earned a scholarship to a Flight Academy and his father asked the board to help promote a free nonprofit program that pairs students with pilot mentors for introductory flights and mentoring.
Jace Tipton, a junior at Champion High School and member of Air Force JROTC, told the Boerne ISD board on Dec. 16 that he had been awarded a full scholarship to a Flight Academy where he will earn a private pilotlicense and college credit this summer. He described STEM Flights, a nonprofit that pairs students with pilot mentors for an introductory flight and mentoring, and asked the district to help make the program more visible to middle- and high-school students.
Jace said the program is free and matches students with volunteer pilots who provide a one-hour check flight that helps students decide whether to pursue aviation. His father, John Tipton, told trustees the program addresses a national shortage of pilots and aviation technicians and noted that the mentors donate time and resources to offer the opportunity for students who otherwise could not afford it.
Both speakers offered to meet with district staff to explore partnerships to introduce the program as an elective or as part of career outreach. The board accepted the offer and encouraged staff to follow up with the Tiptons.
Why this matters: A district partnership could increase exposure to aviation careers for students who lack family access to such mentoring and could connect local employers, pilot mentors and schools.
No formal board motion was made at the meeting.
