The Antelope Valley Times

Your community. Your issues. Your news.

Grand opening Friday for Palmdale Aerospace Academy

by •

Palmdale –The Palmdale Aerospace Academy is set to open its doors to the public on Friday, August 10 with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. and will be followed by tours of the facility.

Located at the former site of Cactus Middle School, the Palmdale Aerospace Academy will open with a total of 540 students in September.

“The idea of the Aerospace Academy was inspired by Palmdale’s rich aerospace heritage” said Palmdale School District Superintendent Roger Gallizzi. “Challenging projects, hands-on activities and collaborative learning will engage student interest and foster student learning.”

The Palmdale Aerospace Academy is a project-based learning environment inspired by Palmdale’s aerospace heritage.

An independent charter, the Aerospace Academy is a joint venture between the City of Palmdale, Palmdale School District, and the AERO Institute.

“The ribbon-cutting will be an exciting day because it’s our first opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary collaborative effort that has gone into getting the Academy off the ground,” said Dr. Laura Herman, the Academy’s Headmaster. “We anticipate a great event!”

The Palmdale Aerospace Academy is an effort to bring real-world relevance to education. At the Academy, students will design, create and explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics with the guidance of staff and noted industry experts.

The Palmdale Aerospace Academy is located at 38060 20th Street East in Palmdale. For more information, call 661-273-3680 or visit www.palmdalesd.org/tpaa.

Filed Under: Education, Palmdale

13 comments for "Grand opening Friday for Palmdale Aerospace Academy"

  2. For clarification, the Palmdale Aerospace Academy is a school of choice, serving as a public school where students will learn all the core curriculum and standards through the prism of aerospace. It is an independent charter and is allowed to raise operational monies by seeking particular grants and donations, which near $1.6 million at this point. It has been so well received by parents, that we had to select students through a lottery system, and the waiting list is long for sure.

    • 1.6 million? Has PSD been reimbursed for the $400,000 plus they fronted for this venture?

      • Don’t have the exact figures in front of me right now, but that $1.6 million figure is down to virtually zero with all the grants and donations that have been secured. At yesterday’s grand opening ceremony, Psomas presented a check for another $40,000.

  3. Our partnership has produced a vital program that will help support the largest employment centers in the Antelope Vally. Aerospace needs this kind of educational program to keep our edge in the world of science,technology,engineering and math. This is just what our community needed most for our childrens future.

    • Mr. Ledford, I know we shouldn’t put a price tag on educating our children and future leaders…so how is Palmdale going to pay for this when we all know there is an empty bank account? Now that’s a class we should be working on….

      • I am afaid you do not know what you are talking about Quigley.The partnership will give whatever is needed for success.

        • What exactly is “whatever is needed?” Seems to me whenever the question arises regarding the finances no one seems to “know what they are talking about.”

  4. This school will be grooming the next generation of engineers, scientists, and inventors. I don’t think you can put a price on education. This right here is money well spent.

    • I agree it’s money well spent…education should always be a priority…however there is one huge problem here, there is NO money! Cali is broke which means PSD has NO money to pay their bills….so why in these trying times would this district put such a burden on the struggling homeowners and their families? This school should have been put on hold until PSD could afford it, or not.

  5. Didn’t I just read yesterday that Gallizzi is pushing a $220 million bond on the taxpayer’s? How does this guy spend so much money he doesn’t have?