For most high school students, connecting what they’re learning in the classroom with their career interests and aspirations is vital for keeping them engaged in the material and learning the skills that are critical to their success.
A relatively new curriculum designed by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Foundation does exactly that. It features classroom lessons that incorporate relevant, real-world scenarios as well as field trips where students connect with professionals and experience aviation first-hand.
Here, a collection of photos of the program in action in the classroom and at a local airport with a group of students from Magruder High School in Rockville, Md.
![Students from Magruder High School’s aviation program visit the Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md., on April 6, 2022.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c25c985/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fc3%2Fe1%2F33f150fa4753a3b0ac2ed9250bd6%2F040622-airline-curric-day-1-01-jb-bs.jpg)
![Sophomore Byron Barksdale, left, and classmates from Magruder High School’s aviation program examine the inside of a charter plane at the Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md., on April 6, 2022.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b7dea69/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F71%2Fc3%2F90868a9b43089aafbc33a038f68c%2F040622-airline-curric-day-1-06-jb-bs.jpg)
![Ben Berman, chief pilot and director of safety for the charter flight business OpenAir, speaks with students from Magruder High School’s aviation program during a visit to the Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md., on April 6, 2022.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/981921a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F77%2F60%2Fd1cdee0442b5bd1846400d8d4021%2F040622-airline-curric-day-1-03-jb-bs.jpg)
![Oxygen masks come down from the ceiling as students from Magruder High School’s aviation program experience the inside of a charter plane at the Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md., on April 6, 2022.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/db63095/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fc2%2F10%2Ffad5e2094627a4ae53eea1fe23cc%2F040622-airline-curric-day-1-07-jb-bs.jpg)
![Roxanne Ober, director of admissions & outreach for the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics, speaks with students from Magruder High School’s aviation program during a field trip to the Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md., on April 6, 2022.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/240f20b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F17%2Ffa%2F9612f0d541bcbdb35c7ae41ca0ed%2F040622-airline-curric-day-1-09-jb-bs.jpg)
![Students from Magruder High School’s aviation program get a lesson on mechanical work during a field trip to the Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md., on April 6, 2022.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a3e032a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F5a%2Ff4%2F335c301d4ccfb60d2cd90a13bdbd%2F040622-airline-curric-day-1-13-jb-bs.jpg)
![Sophomore Luke Moitoza, part of the aviation program at Magruder High School, takes a look at the landing gear of a plane during a visit to the Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md., on April 6, 2022.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0e6b4f9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Ffb%2F91%2Ffd94a6f142379eddcb1b3c210f5d%2F040622-airline-curric-day-1-14-jb-bs.jpg)
![Students in the aviation program at Magruder High School take a look at the different parts of a plane during a visit to the Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md., on April 6, 2022.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4bc5b77/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fe2%2Fa0%2Fc09affab4cd8aeaa306e34799a35%2F040622-airline-curric-day-1-16-jb-bs.jpg)
![Students in the aviation program at Magruder High School take a look at the exposed engine of an airplane during a visit to the Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md., on April 6, 2022.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d618465/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F89%2F75%2Fada7c3194a7c81c7c4747c9be334%2F040622-airline-curric-day-1-18-jb-bs.jpg)
![Students from Magruder High School’s aviation program visit the Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md., on April 6, 2022.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b15bcf2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fa0%2Fb6%2Fc65dd05241f0b21b198d857540af%2F040622-airline-curric-day-1-20-jb-bs.jpg)
![Sophomores in the aviation program at Magruder High School in Rockville, Md., work together to assemble a helicopter during class on April 7, 2022.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9c4f9d8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fce%2Fcb844e5c4ddf9afe2bbe38b885b8%2F040722-airline-curric-day-2-17-jb-bs.jpg)
![Sophomores in the aviation program at Magruder High School in Rockville, Md., work together to assemble a helicopter during class on April 7, 2022.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c654957/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2Ffc%2Fe214be1f440da8dd2b1b1fafacb0%2F040722-airline-curric-day-2-48-jb-bs.jpg)
![Luke Moitoza, left, and Byron Barksdale, sophomores in the aviation program at Magruder High School in Rockville, Md., work together to assemble a helicopter during class on April 7, 2022.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7f59db5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/960x1440+0+0/resize/223x335!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F6e%2F16%2F54fbd80a4dca97395d5578b4a5d0%2F040722-airline-curric-day-2-298-jb-bs.jpg)
![Students in the aviation program at Magruder High School in Rockville, Md., use multimeters to test various batteries during a lesson on April 7, 2022.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/bad8354/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F1f%2Ff7%2F05cf0d814a8db8fb841285146023%2F040722-airline-curric-day-2-527-jb-bs.jpg)
![Dan Howell, aviation and technology teacher at Magruder High School in Rockville, Md., gives a lesson on batteries as part of the aviation curriculum on April 7, 2022.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/906e6de/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F91%2F86%2F3cb5c1a643c983e952a198498ff2%2F040722-airline-curric-day-2-413-jb-bs.jpg)