BEAVERCREEK — The City of Dayton has agreed to accept a Boeing 727 cargo jet from Beavercreek City Schools for use by aviation maintenance students at Sinclair Community College. This donation will help facilitate career training in the aerospace and aviation industry.
FedEx donated the jet to Beavercreek City Schools in 2014. Plans for the donation included converting it to a STEM classroom which secured a $984,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Education. But after further research and analysis, it was determined grant funds were insufficient to bring the project to fruition.
After successfully applying for and receiving a modification of the original grant, funds were transitioned to an initiative that benefits all public school students in Greene County, Ohio. The goal of the initiative is to provide resources and instruction that can help create a relevant curriculum for students. This curriculum will lead to new career training opportunities in the aeronautics and aviation industry.
Ultimately, the jet will serve an important need for students training to join an industry that requires a high degree of technical ability. “I am proud of this outcome and feel our district really did accomplish what it set out to do – create learning opportunities for kids,” said Paul Otten, Beavercreek City Schools Superintendent.
Several people and organizations invested nearly four years of research and exploration into this project: Wright State University, Clark State University, The Greene County Career Center, Ohio Representative Rick Perales, Public Relations Professional Debbie Alberico, Pete Petrini, Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Maintenance Superintendent (Ret), retired airline mechanic Moe Albaugh, and Terry Slaybaugh, Director of Dayton International Airport.
