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Partnership between the District and the Oregon International Air Show made the event possible
September 24, 2018, Hillsboro, OR – Students at Poynter Middle School were in for a treat on Friday, Sept. 21, when an Oregon National Guard Black Hawk helicopter landed in their field and was joined by two Humvees (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles: HMMWVs).
Students knew there would be something special happening that Friday, but didn’t know all the details. Just before 2 p.m., they filed out of the building with their teachers and sat next to cones that had been arranged in the field to spell out “Poynter.” This allowed a photographer on board the Black Hawk to get pictures of the students in formation.
Upon landing and securing the helicopter, students were allowed to view the Black Hawk and Humvees up close and ask questions of the pilot, flight crew, and Guardsmen.
Afterward, students returned to their formation and learned that all students and staff, plus two family members, would receive tickets to the upcoming Air Show, taking place Friday through Sunday, Sept. 28-30.
When students heard the news, they erupted into cheers.
This special event was more than a year in the making, and it all started when a guest speaker for one of Poynter’s AVID classes mentioned he had an Air Show connection. Assistant Principal Sonta Thompson followed up and pursued a partnership with the Air Show, which led to the Black Hawk event. She even had to secure Pentagon approval for the helicopter’s landing.
“I’m just so excited to bring a fun and unique event to Poynter for our students,” Sonta remarked. “It’s also a great opportunity for them to learn about career fields they may not have otherwise considered.”
Bill Braack, president of the Oregon International Air Show added: “The Oregon International Air Show is excited to be able to partner with our local schools and it was amazing to see the looks on the faces of these students today as they were offered just a glimpse of the world of aviation. It is critical for our nation and our future that we start engaging kids with aviation and we hope to see a lot of these young people at the Air Show next week.”
School and District staff are hoping this event kicks off a career pathway in aviation and avionics; look for more details on that in the coming year.
Pictures of the event are available on the HSD website at: https://bit.ly/2zr5Of7.
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