L to R: The second graduating class to complete a course of studies at Wathen Aviation High School included Amy Ames, Joanna Cardena, Selene Acosta, Claudia Rocha, Yvonne Martinez, Amanda Moore and Juan Balderas.
Seven seniors came to the podium to accept their high school diplomas and became the second graduating class to complete a course of study at one of the nation’s most unique high schools. The Wathen Aviation High School is located on the grounds of a fully operational airport, historic Flabob Airport (RIR) in Riverside.
WAHS is a tuition-free, state-funded public high school operated in partnership by Eagles Peak Inland Empire Charter School and the Thomas W. Wathen Foundation. In addition to meeting or exceeding all California-mandated education standards, the school offers a rich selection of aviation-specific enhancements to the normal high school curriculum. Classes like science and math have aviation subjects woven into everyday class work, and studies in literature focus on the works of great aviation writers like Antoine de Saint- Exupéry, Ernest K. Gann, Anne Morrow Lindbergh and William Faulkner.
“Even in teaching history, airplanes have always played a very important role in America,” said Wes Blasjio, WAHS principal. “We not only studied the Cold War, but how the Cold War led to the development of the fastest aircraft ever built, the SR-71 Blackbird. To make things even more interesting, we brought in an SR-71 pilot to make our history lessons have a unique aviation perspective.”
Plans are underway to expand WAHS into a $20 million state-of-the-art high school and aviation learning center.
For more information, visit [http://www.flabob.org] or contact the Thomas W. Wathen Foundation at 951-683-2309.