What a way to illustrate the innovative opportunities that are available at a charter school.
As 800 charter school supporters gathered below her on the lawn of the State Capitol building in Lansing, a high school senior named Ashley Bogardus – who earned her private pilot’s license at West Michigan Aviation Academy in Grand Rapids – flew a Cessna 172 at 1,000 feet over the Capitol on Tuesday.
She circled the Capitol once, and then did another fly-over as the crowd roared. At just 1,000 feet, the plane was clearly visible to the people below, who loved every second of it.
It was all part of Charter Day at the Capitol, a day-long celebration of charter school success that was sponsored by the Michigan Association of Public School Academies (MAPSA), the state charter school association.
West Michigan Aviation Academy had to gain approval from the Federal Aviation Administration for the flyover, and it was no doubt one of the most unique demonstrations the Capitol has ever seen.
“It was the perfect way to illustrate the innovative opportunities that are available to students at a charter school,” said MAPSA President Dan Quisenberry. “A high school senior took off in an airplane from her school in Grand Rapids in the morning and then flew to Lansing. It was an awesome sight, watching Ashley pilot the plane over the Capitol. Where else but a charter school could you get an opportunity like that?”
Bogardus landed at the airport in Lansing and was brought to the Capitol later in the morning. She was one of several charter school students who spoke during Charter Day at the Capitol, and told the crowd that she and her family chose West Michigan Aviation Academy because she was looking for an innovative and academically challenging school.
“I feel that’s really what our school stands for – amazing and innovative ideas that you aren’t going to find at a (traditional) public school,” Bogardus said during a ceremony in the Capitol rotunda. “I feel that’s why charter schools really stand out. In addition to the education I’ve gotten, I feel that I’ve really grown as a person. We’re surrounded by a very diverse culture, with a variety of different ideas, and we’re all able to come together. I think that’s what really sets us apart. And being able to fly – you can’t do that at a public school!”
West Michigan Aviation Academy is one of the only schools in the country that’s located at an airport (in this case, the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids). It’s a STEM-focused school that has seen more than 60 students earn their private pilot’s license – including Ashley Bogardus.
The school opened in 2010, and it’s already become one of the best high schools in Michigan academically. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked West Michigan Aviation Academy as the No. 51 high school in the state, awarding the school a prestigious Silver Medal.
Earlier in the week, West Michigan Aviation Academy CEO Pat Cwayna, the school’s founding principal, was named the Michigan Charter School Administrator of the Year.
