PARK CITY, Utah — Students from Park City High School’s drone aviation program visited Ecker Hill Middle School, giving younger students a hands-on experience with drones and sparking interest in a fast-growing career field.
The event was part of an incentive program at EHMS, where students who completed all their assignments had the opportunity to fly various types of drones under the guidance of experienced high school mentors.
Five PCHS students, all of whom have earned their FAA Part 107 drone pilot licenses, participated in the event. The students are currently enrolled in Park City High School’s drone aviation capstone class, where they are already applying their skills in real-world projects within the community.
Park City High School Senior Alan Soberanis shared his journey through the drone program, which began in his freshman year.
"I saw the drone aviation class when I was signing up for classes, and I thought it sounded cool," Soberanis said. "They teach you how to fly different kinds of drones and help you study for your license test. I got my license about a month ago."
Soberanis has already put his license to use, working on two major projects through the PCCAPS (Park City Center for Advanced Professional Studies) program.
"We’re working with Summit County for their 'Tails, Trash, and Tunes' event, gathering footage and helping with event planning and mapping," he said. "We’re also helping Park City School District with traffic flow analysis at the high school, including recording bus patterns and tracking construction progress."
The Summit County project involves assisting with an annual event focused on environmental stewardship and community engagement. "Tails, Trash, and Tunes" brings the community together to clean up local trails while also providing entertainment and fostering environmental awareness. Soberanis and his classmates have been tasked with using drones to gather aerial footage of the event, helping event organizers with logistics like mapping out the event layout and identifying areas that need attention.
Their work with Park City School District focuses on improving transportation efficiency as the district prepares for increased bus traffic due to the upcoming closure of Treasure Mountain Junior High School.
"We’re helping record the flow of buses entering and leaving the high school to identify potential bottlenecks and improve traffic patterns," Soberanis said. "It’s been really interesting to see how the drone footage can provide valuable insights for planning."
For Soberanis, the visit to Ecker Hill Middle School carried special significance.
"It’s really cool to come back here and work with the middle school kids," he said. "I went to Ecker Hill, and it’s changed a lot since I was here. The kids seem so much smaller now, but it’s awesome to be able to share something I’m passionate about with them. Hopefully, it inspires some of them to sign up for the drone class when they get to high school."
Trip Marshall, the instructor for the drone aviation program at PCHS, emphasized the significance of bringing the high school students to the middle school.
"It’s been really fun to watch the middle school kids light up when they get their hands on the drones," Marshall said. "They’re engaged, asking questions, and smiling the whole time."
Marshall explained that the aviation pathway at Park City High School includes a certification class to prepare students for the Part 107 license, a drone-building class, and the capstone project course where students work with real clients.
"We’re teaching them not just how to fly drones but how to run an operation, work with clients, and manage projects," Marshall said. "These are durable skills that will benefit them no matter what career path they take."
According to Marshall, the career potential for drone pilots is significant, with projections indicating the need for up to 200,000 new drone-related jobs over the next decade.
"This is a high-demand, high-wage career path, and it's great that we can offer this opportunity at Park City High School," Marshall added.
Soberanis expressed his hope that more students will explore the drone program.
"It’s a lot of fun, and you learn skills that you can use in so many ways," he said. "Hopefully, some of the middle school kids we worked with today will be inspired to sign up for the class when they get to high school."
The drone aviation program is one of Park City School District’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) offerings, providing students with hands-on learning experiences and a direct path to industry certifications. The program is supported by the Park City Education Foundation, which has been a longstanding funder of CTE programs. Donor contributions help provide the latest equipment, training, and resources, ensuring students have the tools they need to succeed in this high-demand field.
"I’ve never had a bad experience with high school students working with middle school students," he said. "The high school kids light up because they get to apply what they’re learning, and the middle school kids look up to them. That kind of connection creates real inspiration; it’s one of the best parts of teaching."
