'I love it': Horlick High School students take learning to new heights
RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Students at Horlick High School in Racine are taking the saying "the sky is the limit" literally.
"I love it," said Tayshon Allen.
Horlick High School senior Tayshon Allen dreams of taking his passion to new heights.
"I'm hoping that once I turn 18, that I can actually turn this into a career," said Allen.
Allen says nothing really sparked his interest in school until he started Horlick's aviation program.
"My mom, like, growing up she's petrified of airplanes, so like naturally I was like are planes really this bad?" said Allen. "So, as I got more into it, I was like wow this is like a really cool mode of travel."
He says as soon as he started learning more about drones, he was hooked.
"You can do really cool tricks with them, you can like flip them and stuff," said Allen.
Allen is one of nine seniors who passed their drone exam this school year. That's the highest number of students to earn their drone pilot licenses since the drone program launched in 2021. It's a feat students say wasn’t easy.
"We spent the entire first semester just studying," said Darcy Wawrzyniak, a senior at Horlick High School.
However, students say hitting the books was worth it as some of them have already been able to use their licenses in the workplace.
"Oh 100%, I can right out of high school, go make almost six figures and I think that is really cool," said Wawrzyniak.
As the drone technology continues to expand, so do the opportunities for students.
"They love it," said James Bucholtz, the aviation teacher at Horlick High School. "It’s a great opportunity for them and they can use it throughout many different industries."
From drone shows to aerial photography, infrastructure inspection and even public safety, there are countless options for students to pursue.
"So, it’s an emerging industry and the kids are excited for them because they grew up thinking they were toys," said Bucholtz. "Now, they are using them in a professional setting and it's exciting. They like taking the drones out."
Students say their favorite part is racing and testing their skills in the drone obstacle course.
"Every single year in March we do SkillsUSA and this is the obstacle course that they would have to run," said Bucholtz. "It's a little smaller than the actual one, but the kids run their drones through and compete."
The competitions adding extra motivation to their studies.
"I mean just flying it itself is really fun," said Aiden May, a junior at Horlick High School. "I kind of really like being in control of something and I like having cameras on it so you can see all the places you are going in."
Embracing the fun, while looking forward to the future.
"There is just so many opportunities, a lot of the jobs in the field pay good money," said Allen. "I'm hoping I can land a nice job and live a cool life."