Middle schoolers at St. Charles Borromeo are first to get drone flying course

ORLANDO  |  Drones are creating a buzz in local Catholic schools.

St. Charles Borromeo students are learning how to program drones to land careers in one of the fastest growing fields. The flying robots are used on movie sets, in search and rescue missions and to cover major sporting events.

St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School is the first private school in central Florida to partner with the Gaetz Aerospace Institute through Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. The new beginner course teaches eighth-graders about types of drones, safety procedures, how weather impacts flight and coding.

“It’s always been a goal of mine to provide high-quality experiences in students’ education, not just high-quality curriculum standards,” said Jamie Rodriguez, St. Charles Borromeo principal. “This provides students opportunities above and beyond what they might get elsewhere and really shows them what they can do. Even though we’re a small school, the students can have the experiences of a larger school.”

Rodriguez is grateful that Embry Riddle made the process easy. She also credited Steven Barnaby, St. Charles’ science teacher, for making the connections. He’s committed to a strong S.T.E.M. program (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) across all grades.

“I’m always thinking of ideas of how to capture kids’ attention and get them excited about things that are out there, and not just sit behind a desk and work on the computer and do some worksheets,” Barnaby said. “I like hands-on stuff that is exciting and new.”

To teach the course, Barnaby spent four days in an intensive “boot camp” learning the curriculum content, delivery and principles. With a little additional research, he molded new lessons specifically for his students. Even if they don’t choose a drone career later in life, he’s confident they’re acquiring vital skills.

“Our class is not about just putting a battery in a controller and start flying,” he explained. “Everything is planned. The students have to think several steps ahead of every action to avoid accidents. These skills, slow down – stop – think – plan, and relying heavily on the engineering design method of identifying a problem and coming up with a solution, then testing and evaluating it, are very relevant in life.”

Student Isabela S. wanted to learn more about drones after she saw some impressive photography. Although her interest is more for personal pleasure than a professional goal, the class is more than she anticipated.

“We fly a lot,” she said. “We code drones. We do a lot of cool maneuvers. We did free flying first. Coding is a lot more complicated. Being able to be creative and make our own codes is most fun.”

Classmate Mitchell N.’s interest in drones ignited a few years ago when he began watching videos on professional drone flying competitions. He was amazed at “how the pilots could maneuver and weave through all the obstacles with ease.”

He is considering a career path in the field, but plans to start flying drones as a hobby, allowing time to hone his professional flying skills. “I’m most looking forward to the final capstone project with the dual mini DJI drones (camera drones),” he said. The students will be required to code the drone to record a school event and then share their edited video in a presentation on drone capabilities.

While the skills these students get in middle school won’t give them an FAA license needed to work in the drone field, they can earn it if they continue studying at nearby Bishop Moore Catholic High School.

Bishop Moore’s aviation program director, Mary Grady, is a 35-year veteran pilot instrumental in bringing Embry Riddle to campus. She praised Barnaby’s perseverance and high standards. She’s excited about prospective students from St. Charles feeding into Bishop Moore’s Journey of Flight course, an introductory course to aviation that segways into the dual enrollment program.

Grady is eager to pass that excitement onto the students. “What is being started at St. Charles can just blossom into where these students can go, not only as a potential career, but as an exciting hobby,” she said. “Aviation is an exciting field and there is a shortage of pilots.” She added she loves getting the female students interested in the traditionally male-dominated field. She said Barnaby’s course provides “a solid foundation” and she hopes other middle schools consider following suit as it includes engineering, design, and so much more.

Although St. Charles Borromeo is the only Catholic middle school to offer the drone course through Embry Riddle, three diocesan high schools — Bishop Moore, Trinity Catholic in Ocala, and Father Lopez in Daytona Beach — all offer program partnerships in aviation with Embry Riddle.

By Glenda Meekins of the Florida Catholic staff, January 31, 2025