Aerospace & Natural Science Academy welcomes families at open house
TOLEDO – Interest among students and parents is booming at two campuses of the Toledo Public Schools’ Aerospace and Natural Science Academy, which has seen a dramatic enrollment jump in recent years.
The aerospace campus held its open house Wednesday, and the natural science campus opened its doors to the public on Thursday.
Both are part of the TPS magnet school programs, where students from across the district, and sometimes other Ohio districts, can take all of their classes that specializes in a topic or theme on one campus. Community partnerships, such as Toledo Metroparks, contribute to the workforce preparation experience.
Kurt Wicklund, senior director of the Aerospace and Natural Science Academy of Toledo, described it as a full high school, but the interest is most definitely in the practical skills.
“Our students get internships. They learn directly from people out in the field,” he said during the open house.
What’s new in career technology?
According to Wicklund, career technology education, also known as vocational education, has a long history in Toledo Public Schools. For example, the district’s aviation studies dates back to 1929, and the natural science center opened in 1976.
In the meantime, TPS administrators, such as Dr. Romules Durant, have been hosting family meetings at the grade schools to explain the options.
That’s how Karina Vea, a 7th grader from Toledo, and her family found out about the magnet school opportunities. Her father, Robert Vea, said he didn’t know there were so many choices within TPS. Karina said she enjoyed her first few days of class at the Natural Science Technology Center.
“It makes me excited to go to school,” she said at the open house.
As a result of the updates, total enrollment in the Aerospace and Natural Science Academy has tripled since it was organized in 2018, Wicklund said.
By 2021, according to school district records, there were 246 students in grades 9 to 12 in the program. There are now 450 students, roughly 225 at each campus, ranging in grades from 7 to 12.
What is different?
The student demographics of this career-focused magnet school academy are noticeably different than a traditional neighborhood high school.
For example, Wicklund said that ANSAT enrollment is open to any students from Ohio. The current student ratio is 65 percent from Toledo Public Schools, and 35 percent from out of the district.
But there have been significant updates in academic options, along with facilities and equipment updates, during just the past few years. Specifically, the ANSAT program started welcoming students from grades 7 and 8 as of this school year.
In addition, there are tradeoffs when picking a small magnet school instead of a larger high school. For example, Vea said his daughter won’t be able to take an art class at the natural science campus; but they have learned there is an art club that meets after school.
Aerospace campus
The aerospace campus is in two buildings at Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport. The academic building has classrooms, workshop spaces and a cafeteria whose windows look out over the airport runway. The hangar building houses four small planes that instructors and students use for training.
The sophomores are learning practical lessons in electricity, while the juniors and seniors get hands-on experience in building and working with drones.
Eric Parraz Jr., of Toledo is one of the 7th graders this year at the aerospace campus, said he has an interest in planes and would like to be a pilot, so he was excited to be accepted to the program.
“It’s an honor and a privilege, and now he’s in,” his father, Eric Parraz Sr., said about the magnet school option.
New resources this year include a row of computers set up as flight simulators.
“We’ve grown so much, we are redoing lab areas,” instructor Rick Naves said about the aerospace campus. “We’re bursting at the seams.”
Whether as a mechanic, pilot or other supporting roles, Wicklund said aviation is currently a career field where there is high demand for an interested and prepared workforce.
Over the years, alumni of the aerospace studies have continued their studies at Bowling Green State University, Kent State University and other schools, while others go on to become commercial pilots, explained Wicklund.
There’s also a track record of graduates going into the military, and at least one who was accepted into the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Natural sciences campus
The Natural Science Technology Center campus is on Elmer Drive near Toledo Botanical Garden. The updates this year include a new academic classroom wing to accommodate the increased number of students on campus.
Those attending the open house could look for a caiman that lives in a habitat enclosure in the greenhouse, and find newly hatched corn snakes in the classroom terrariums.
Senior Angel Gilbertson of Toledo was among those participating in a rope climbing demonstration during the open house. That’s a skill that urban agriculture instructor Bryan Ellis said is applicable to urban forestry.
Students also get hands-on lessons about hydroponics, wildlife sustainability and related topics. Every year in May, the campus hosts a plant sale for the public.
“Kids that come here, they’re interested in nature. They’re interested in the natural world,” said Ryan Ackerman, assistant director for the Toledo Public Schools’ Natural Science Technology Center.
