Aviation High School

Aviation High School
"Where Dreams Take Flight!"
Location
45-30 36th Street Queens, New York 11101
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1936
Principal	Deno Charalambous
Faculty	111.41 FTE[1]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	2,098 (as of 2010-11)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	18.83[1]
Color(s)	Green and Gold
Newspaper	"The Log"
Website	www.aviationhs.net

Aviation High School, official name Aviation Career & Technical Education High School,^[2] is public high school #Q610 owned and operated by the New York City Department of Education. Formerly known as the School of Aviation Trades (SAT), Aviation High School has operated since 1936.

It is located in Long Island City, which is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens undergoing widespread redevelopment. The school accepts students selectively. Eileen B. Taylor, principal of Aviation High School since 1991, retired in 2009. The new principal, Deno Charalambous, was formerly the assistant principal of administration and an assistant principal of aircraft maintenance. Mr. Charalambous is also a graduate of the high school, graduating as the class of 1976.

As of the 2010-11 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2098 students. It also received an "A" rating for the fourth time in a row.

Educational emphasis

Aviation High School is certified by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the training of Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMTs). Students who successfully complete the school's rigorous technical programs are allowed to take their FAA certification examinations without further qualification.

In order to achieve this, students at the school spend about third of every day in "shop," technology related classes that concentrate on every aspect of an aircraft's structure, systems, and components, as well as more general aviation subjects such as aerodynamics and Federal Aviation Regulations. These specialized classes are taught by FAA-certificated AMTs, many of whom are themselves alumni of the school.

In addition to aviation-related subjects, Aviation High School also provides a full academic curriculum to its approximately 2,000 students, who come from all five boroughs of New York City. The school has consistently enjoyed excellent attendance rates (averaging over 95 percent) and a high graduation rate (approximately 88 percent). About 80 percent of graduates go on to college, many studying aeronautics, engineering, or other technology-related subjects. Freshmen at Aviation focus more on the fundamentals of flight and/or wood/sheet metal, while wearing aprons for their more basic studies. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors at Aviation wear coveralls which take them through more intense subject areas such as avionics, aircraft engines otherwise known as "powerplant", electricity, and the like. There's an optional fifth year which was established for seniors to obtain both their airframe and powerplant licenses. Although it is offered to all juniors, it is a highly competitive program and so only those juniors with the highest shop GPA's are offered the program. The fifth year program causes students to forfeit their senior social studies credits to be assumed during this fifth year stage. High School diplomas are also given to passing fifth year graduates. If a student wishes to forego the fifth year program, he or she could earn his second license on the field by working under a certified AMT, who will recommend to the FAA said student when the AMT deems the student ready to take the qualifying exam for that portion of licensure.

Facilities and Physical Plant

The school's present, main campus, which was completed in 1958, occupies an entire city block at the intersection of Queens Boulevard and 36th Street. The six-story school building houses academic classrooms, specialized shop classrooms, and a hangar where seniors apply the skills they have obtained to the maintenance of retired aircraft, many of which were donated by the U.S. military. In October 2000, the school also opened an extension campus at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

A 727 donated by FedEx at the school's Annex at JFK Airport

AHS JROTC marchers

Prior to the completion of the Queens Boulevard campus, the school had been located in Manhattan and had been known as the Manhattan High School of Aviation Trades.

Almost 55% of Aviation High School's teachers are alumni.

School Property

Aviation High School is one of the largest high schools in the city of New York. The school occupies a whole block right next to the 7 train and Queens Blvd. It is composed of six floors, as well as a basement, a hangar with multiple general aviation and World War II planes, a gymnasium, a cafeteria, a pool on the roof and a dedicated ROTC area. The school is divided into two parts, the main part where most administration offices and academic classrooms are located, while a separate wing is dedicated to shop classes that runs from the first floor up to the sixth. An escalator also runs throughout the six floors of the building.

• Ground Floor - Administration offices, the ROTC area, Music Room, Shop Classes
• Second Floor - The Social Studies Department, Library, Shop Classes
• Third Floor - The English Department, Shop Classes
• Fourth Floor - The Math Department, Shop Classes
• Fifth Floor - The Computer Rooms, a mix of Science and Math classes
• Sixth Floor - The Science Department, Shop Classes
• Lower Floors - Gymnasium, Hangar, Cafeteria

Student Schedule

Aviation High School students have one of the longest school days in New York City. The majority of the students' schedules starts at 8:08am. Each period or class lasts for 45 minutes. All students are given 3 minutes to transfer between classes. The schedules of most juniors and seniors end at 4:15pm. Various extracurricular activities, tutoring, and different clubs begin after this time. Most freshman students' schedules begin at either 8:56 or 9:44 and end at either 1:03, 1:52, or 2:41. Junior Year is popularly considered to be the toughest year as the students' shop rotations are only 17 days long; if one rotation's final is failed, or if the student is absent 2 days, he or she must retake the rotation either during Saturday Academy, after hours on weekdays, or in summer school. Freshmen students have 1 period of shop, sophomore students have 3 periods of shop, and juniors and seniors have 4 periods of shop each day.

Clubs and extracurricular activities

Aviation High School offers various clubs and extracurricular activities for its students.

Athletics

Aviation High School offers various sports for both boys and girls. The school's different athletic teams also competes city-wide and has won various awards and recognition.

Notable alumni

• Michael Bentt, former WBO World Heavyweight Champion and actor went to Aviation H.S. for three years prior to dropping out when selected for the U.S National Boxing Team.
• Whitey Ford attended and graduated from Aviation High School when it was located in Manhattan. The School was officially Named Manhattan High School of Aviation Trades. There were two buildings one on East 63 RD ST in Manhattan and the other one block away on East 64TH Street in Manhattan^[3]
• Zeeshan Saroya, President of City Tech.

2011 Hurricane Irene Evacuation Site

On August 27, 2011, Aviation High School became an evacuation site for residents of Zone A Areas in Long Island City, Astoria, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint. The site has a capacity of 300 people. Evacuees were placed in empty classrooms stocked with food and water. A hallway was also dedicated to for the evacuees' pets.

References

External links

• Aviation High School's Official Page
• Inside Schools profile of Aviation High School
• Aviation Career And Technical High School data from National Center for Education Statistics

Coordinates: 40°44′35″N 73°55′47″W / 40.74306°N 73.92972°W / 40.74306; -73.92972