Stellar New STEM Center Unveiled at Catholic Central High School in Novi

In the ever-growing city of Novi, Catholic Central High School has just opened the doors to a $61 million state-of-the-art STEM center. This prestigious institution just got a massive upgrade with this amazing addition. It’s a scientific heaven, complete with an observatory that can pinpoint stars in broad daylight, a substantial robotics competition space, and an aviation simulator.

The top-of-the-line RedBird 180° Flight Simulator gives students a chance to take the controls of any of 20 different aircraft types. It’s a part of Catholic Central’s Ground School program where students like senior Charlie Dierkes are learning the joys and challenges of flying. The Cross Winds Aviation team contributes their expertise, using an advanced simulation system akin to what actual Air Force pilots are trained on.

What really sets these flight training programs apart is their FAA certification. Students don’t just earn school credits, they earn legitimate flight hours that^* can go towards a genuine pilot’s license. Expanding on this, Amy Ely, the school’s director of STEM, explained, “They’ll get more practice before they go in the air.”

In addition to the flight simulator, the STEM center houses a comprehensive robotics lab. Here, students can not only operate robots but also learn to program and build them. It’s all made possible by a dedicated machine lab. But the generosity doesn’t stop there – the school is planning to open this machine lab to other robotics teams that lack access to similar resources. An initiative called Shop Mentor Saturdays is in the works, where CC Shamrocks will assist and mentor other teams.

The newly-established observatory dome being the cherry on top. This state-of-the-art facility comes with all the trimmings, including the ability to observe celestial bodies, track stars, and capture their images for educational purposes.

Caping off this iceing with the ultimate show and tell, the school plans to host public Star Parties. Here, attendees will not just hear about the STEM center’s capabilities, they’ll see it in action as actual images of space captured by students are projected in the school theatre.

There’s no question about it – Catholic Central High School is pioneering the path towards an excitingly enriched educational experience for its students and the local community. Stay tuned for more updates and don’t forget to check out the Star Parties!