Riverside, California — 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 (WAHS) is located on the grounds of a fully operational airport, historic Flabob Airport in Riverside, California.
Graduating seniors included Selene Acosta, Amanda Ames, Juan Balderas, Joanna Cardena, Yvonne Martinez, Amy Moore and Claudia Rocha.
The Wathen Aviation High School 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, WAHS students are exposed to a rich selection of aviation-specific enhancements to their normal high school curriculum. Classes like science and math and have aviation subjects woven into every day class work and studies in literature focus on the works of great aviation writers like St. Exupery, Gann, Lindbergh and Faulkner.
"Even in teaching history, airplanes have always played a very important role in America," said the WAHS Principal Wes Blasjio. "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 the current WAHS into a $20 million state-of-the-art high school and aviation learning center. For more information, visit www.Flabob.org or contact the Thomas W. Wathen Foundation at 951-683-2309.
