Avis Aqua – Issue III
ISSUE III
DAVIS A&M / ARGONAUT NEWS
SEPT. 2025
WE'RE UNDERWAY
BUILDING MOMENTUM
As we begin the 2025–26 school year, we’re reflecting on an incredible summer filled with growth, exploration, and hands-on learning. From internships in aviation, maritime, and fabrication to new additions like our sailing vessel Paradox, students had opportunities to build skills and make memories that will carry into the year ahead. Now, with afterschool clubs launched and new programs on the horizon, we’re excited to carry that momentum forward. This year promises even more chances for our students to learn, lead, and shine—both in the classroom and out on the water, in the lab, and in the skies.
In this issue, you’ll read student stories that showcase how real-world internships shaped their passions and future career goals. In this issue, you’ll also get a look at fresh program updates, new clubs, and the exciting ways our students are making waves in aviation, maritime, and beyond.
THE DISPATCH
Your hub for everything happening at Davis and Argonaut.
4th annual Sunset on the harbor fundraiser
Argonaut hosted our Annual Sunset on the Harbor Benefit. We celebrated our students, teachers, and staff; reaffirmed our commitment to developing our future leaders in maritime and aviation, and communed around a shared vision of a stronger and more prosperous city. We’re incredibly grateful to our partners and community members for your support and for sharing this memorable evening.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
ON THE HORIZON
UPCOMING DAVIS EVENTS DATES
Upcoming events this season will highlight student learning and community engagement—stay tuned for dates and details.
Fab Saturdays – 11am-2pm (Projects to be announced)
- October 25, 2025
- November 15, 2025
- December 13, 2025
Other Davis A&M Events
- 9/29 – Club Attendance Breakfast Flight
- 9/30 – Discovery Flights Starts for Sophomores
- 10/2 – Davis A&M Homecoming
- 10/3 – Manufacturing Day at Great Lakes Science Center
THE STUDENT SECTION
From the classroom to the community – students making their mark.
Student Voices: Summertime internship stories
This year, our students have had the opportunity to dive into hands-on internships across maritime, aviation, and fabrication industries.
From navigating one of Cleveland’s largest vessels on the Goodtime III to gaining real-world aviation experience with United Airlines, and learning fabrication skills in the Argonaut Fab Lab, our interns have explored a variety of career paths. These experiences have not only strengthened their technical skills but also given them a firsthand look at what it takes to succeed in their chosen fields. Here’s what some of our students had to say about their internship journeys.
Kameron Noel, Goodtime III: “My experience on the Goodtime III has been a real eye-opener. Compared to other boats that I’ve been on, this one is by far the largest vessel. I’ve learned about the boat’s mechanics and how it operates. I’ve sat in the pilot house to see what the captain sees, and I’ve even driven the boat using some of the navigation equipment. I’ve used the wheel to maneuver the boat, which is fun but challenging. I’ve been able to call out to bridges to allow the vessel through, which is pretty exciting. Overall, being allowed to work on the boat has been the best. I hope to take my Maritime career to the next level through the Goodtime III and Argonaut!”
Phoenix Guerrero, 2543: “Working on 2543 has truly shaped my decision to pursue a maritime career. It’s been such an amazing experience working with medical and maritime. I am very fortunate to be a part of the Argonaut program.”
Brady Lukcso, United Airlines: “My time at United Airlines was a fantastic! Through the internship, I have acquired a range of skills essential for a career in aviation. Meeting people in the aviation field helped prepare me for my future as a pilot. I am very thankful for the opportunity at United Airlines and am looking forward to my future in aviation.”
Kyra McIntosh, United Airlines: “It was fun! I enjoyed learning about how workers organize items at United. I also learned a lot about how they keep [parts] together and organized. Overall, it was an enjoyable and godly experience!”
Elise Galloway, Fab Lab: “Working in the Fab Lab was a great experience. I got to work on different projects and learned the process of putting something together from start to finish. Creating new things was really exciting. My overall experience was eye-opening and fun.”
Noah Reed, Argonaut Aviation: “Working with Ioannis this summer was more challenging than I expected. There were challenges, and I did struggle, but through my experience, I learned areas I need to improve on as I work toward my career path. Overall, I enjoyed the work”
Luis Correa, RTA: “I developed hands-on experience working with mechanics at RTA. I gained valuable experience from other employees about my future. I learned how to work as a team with the other interns.”
MAGNET ECEC UPDATES
It’s that time of year again – the Early College Early Career Program is back! Tristan Johnson, Meairra Jackson, Edwin Romero, God Brooks, Camille Brooks, Genesis Cruz, and Noa Bazile will begin the second year of their Magnet Program. After gaining experience with Talan Products, Olympus Aerospace, and Euclid Heating over the summer, our students will now work with these companies on Fridays and Magnet on Wednesdays. The ECEC program helps students develop professional skills that prepare them for entering the workforce upon graduation. We are looking forward to recruiting for the second round of Juniors in the upcoming months!
PROGRAMMING UPDATES
After-school programming has started for the year. On September 15th, we kicked off with the Maritime and Aviation Clubs. The Fab Lab Club and Drone Club will begin in the second quarter. Through these opportunities, students grow personally and professionally—whether through teamwork, leadership, or connecting classroom learning to their future careers. By working together on complex projects, students strengthen relationships with peers and mentors while gaining real-world skills
This year, Argonaut set ambitious goals for afterschool programming, and the results have been impressive. Enrollment surpassed the target of 52 students with 78 participants, and nearly all students met the attendance benchmark, with 50 attending 30 or more days. Literacy outcomes were especially strong, with 50% of students showing measurable growth—double the goal.
A special shout-out goes to Malyah Hill, a Davis sophomore and aspiring UAS pilot, who led the way with 87 days of attendance and continues to thrive in the Aviation and Drone Club.
Team 8222: New Captains, New Season, New Challenges
Team 8222 is gearing up for the 2026 season by training and preparing new members of the team. With 8 members graduated and moving onto their next steps, we had some big shoes to fill.
Meet our new captains: Eamon and Brady. Eamon has a passion for learning new skills and hopes to one day serve in the U.S. Coast Guard. Brady has a passion for aviation and wants to be a commercial pilot. He is currently on track, training to become a pilot. Both captains have been on the team for a year and have been trained under their predecessors, Yariselle (now studying Mechatronics Engineering at Kent State) and Jovanni (now studying Mechanical Engineering at Ohio State)
Team 8222 has two off-season competitions this fall. The first competition is at Kettering University, Flint, Michigan on September 20th and the second competition is at the Valley Voltage Vibe competition at Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, Ohio.
The 2026 FIRST FRC REBUILT competition season kickoff will be on January 10th at 2:00pm. This is when all teams around the globe will learn what the new game and challenge is for the season. This will require an entirely new robot, giving us just six weeks to design, build, and program a brand-new robot. We are excited and ready for the new season and can’t wait to share our new robot with you in the spring.
Maritime Program Updates: Aqua Immersion and Sailing Expansion
The school year is off to a strong start for our mariners. Our incoming freshmen have completed their first two weeks of Aqua Immersion. During their first weeks at Davis, our students dove in and learned to become comfortable with the water at CSU and also experienced the water at Rivergate Park.
Thank you so much to our partners at The Foundry, Cleveland Rowing Foundation, and Cleveland Dragon Boats for their time and expertise.
Argonaut has welcomed a new vessel, Paradox, to our fleet. During the summer, teachers had a chance to view the boat and gave it a stellar review. Compared toprevious vessels, Paradox has sails and will be used to teach basic boat handling and sailing skills to our students and their families alike. From understanding sail trimming to learning basic navigation, students will use their classroom knowledge to participate in real-world, hands-on practice situations.
We’re excited to add Paradox as another layer of our maritime education and programming. Be on the lookout for what’s next as we move full steam ahead, including an occasional entrance into sail racing!
Fab Lab Fall Updates: Creativity in Action
The Fab Lab continues to be a hub for innovation, collaboration, and hands-on learning. Thanks to our amazing summer interns—Calvin Jackson, Elise Galloway, Mikeah Velazquez, Arthur Higher, and Kaysha Jones—for making this past summer such a success. Their energy and dedication brought new ideas and projects to life, showing just how powerful creativity and teamwork can be. From hands-on learning to creative problem-solving, their contributions set the tone for an exciting year ahead as we transition into the new school year.
Looking forward, Fab Club will officially kick off its second quarter this October. Students will once again dive into digital fabrication, design, and innovation. The focus this quarter will be on craftsmanship, aesthetics, and building skills and techniques.
Ingenuity Fest, held in Cleveland from September 26–28, is a celebration of art, technology, and creativity that brings together inventors, makers, and performers from across the region. Argonaut played a big role in showcasing our students’ talents by teaching visitors how to operate drones and airplanes by using our simulators. Visitors had the chance to build boats, create rockets and shoot them off by way of an air compressor and drive our award winning robot. A huge thank you goes out to Emily Applebaum and the entire Ingenuity Team for making this event such a success.
Interns and Alumni Lead Hands-On Projects in Argonaut Aviation
Our Aviation Club has been busy keeping our plane ready to hit the skies. Current Davis student Noah Reed interned at the Argonaut Aviation Department with alum Ortez Littlejohn. Together, they replaced a failing Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) in Argonaut’s Piper Cherokee. The new ELT not only sends out a radio signal but also the GPS position of the aircraft in case of an emergency.
Students also fabricated a remotely controlled aircraft tug that will be used to move Argonaut aircraft. The design of the R/C tug eliminates damage caused to the aircraft’s steering system by larger tugs with towbars.
In addition to his work with Noah, Ortez was instrumental in helping diagnose and replace a worn-out cylinder on the Cherokee engine.
Through their participation in the Aviation Club, students had the opportunity to learn about and use several tools specific to the aviation industry and the machine shop/tool-making industry.
The Davis Drone Soccer Team is in the works!
We are excited to announce our plans for a Drone Soccer program this fall semester. Created in South Korea, Drone Soccer has gained popularity worldwide.Argonaut is bringing this fun activity to our Davis students with the purchase of a starter kit. Students are already building, programming, and strategizing together as they dive into this exciting new sport!
THE DEEPER DIVE
To everyone who was able to attend our 2025 Sunset on the Harbor fundraiser, a million thanks. This annual event not only raises critical funds but also allows our Davis Aerospace & Maritime students to showcase their work and successes to an appreciative audience. The kids return to their teachers and classmates with glowing reports and newfound self-esteem. Thank you for that kind of encouragement. It is crucial!
The 2025-2026 school year started on August 18th with our largest incoming freshman class, nearly 120 students. Enrollment at Davis A&M has now reached 300 students. While this success is exciting, it is also challenging. Argonaut must continue supporting existing and new programs, expand internship opportunities, grow and broaden our after-school offerings, and ensure every student is properly prepared, trained, and licensed for their chosen pathways in the aerospace and maritime fields.
Thanks to your support, we have become one of the top-performing high schools in the district! This year, however, brings significant challenges—and we need your help in two important ways.
First, I’m asking you to introduce Argonaut and our Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School to two friends or colleagues. We can arrange tours, visits, and get-togethers with students and staff, offering everyone a much-needed boost. Our favorite and most frequent comment from visitors is, “I wish I had this opportunity when I was a kid!”
Second, I encourage you to consider increasing your contribution. To continue investing in our dedicated teachers, staff, and students, we need additional support. Your contribution strengthens our efforts and is crucial in shaping our future leaders, empowering them to set sail or take flight.
I am immensely grateful for your partnership. With your support, the sky is never the limit!
– Drew
Activate adventure. Ignite interest. Support students.
Argonaut is working to educate and equip adventurers, inspire interest and entry into aerospace and maritime fields, and strengthen our region’s economy through career development and employment opportunities in local industries. While we have made incredible progress, we have more work to do and students to reach. Become an education advocate with a donation.
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