WESTFIELD – The pieces of the new Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) Program slated for arrival at Westfield Vocational-Technical High School this fall are starting to take form, as the program’s advisory board has selected two members to form curriculum.
Tracy Gillespie and James Czerwecki were recently selected to begin to shape the A&P program’s course instruction and both are up for – and looking forward to – the challenge.
“I’ve got 30 some-odd years in the aviation industry, both flying and turning wrenches and the last 15 I’ve spent educating post-grad students,” said Czerwecki, who graduated from East Coast Aerotech and flew with and worked for such airlines as Pilgrim and Delta, along with what he calls ‘mom and pop’ aviation companies. “I’ve discovered that post-grad students are not coming out of high school with the required knowledge they need to get into the aviation program.”
Czerwecki stated that he has been looking for a high school aviation program where he could offer his wealth of expertise and when the opportunity arose in Westfield, he was ecstatic at the chance to do so in an almost custom-made environment.
He said that, as the first teacher in the program, he’ll be in charge of handling the equipment needs of the program – which already has three aircraft for students to hone their skills – and hopes to impart his vast knowlege on to students by stressing the importance of the industry they are entering.
“It’s all about professionalism. This isn’t a game or an automobile that you can pull to the side of the road if it breaks down,” he said. “This is students understanding the seriousness of their job and the responsibilities that they hold.”
Gillespie, a former avionics technician with the United States Air Force, holds associates degrees in Propulsion and Aircraft Maintenance and graduated with honors from Baypath College. She hopes that the A&P program will serve the community for many years to come and provide a gateway for Westfield students into a growing field.
“From a professional viewpoint, the ability to grow a program such as this one from the ground up is the ultimate experience,” said Gillespie. “With any program launch, the goal is to be able to bring together and interweave all the necessary skill sets and create a balance that will result in the strongest possible solution.”
Gillespie used the building of a chair as an apt metaphor for building an educational progrm.
“You need four legs. If any of those legs don’t measure up, your chair will tip over. In our case, the legs are curriculum, facilities, training aircraft and learning aides, and last, but certainly not least, support services,” she said. “Each are equally important and each can have a huge impact on the final outcome.”
“For me, being able to speak the language of each of these very different requirements and translate the needs from one to another is what I have worked toward my entire career.”
For Gillespie, the opportunity to be a crucial building block for an educational program in the city is something of personal importance and meaning.
“I am a mom. I have three great kids and their education is extremely important to me. My wish for them, is to graduate with the best possible education which will in turn help provide them the best possible opportunity to succeed,” she said. “With this position, I have the ability to make that same wish come true for other parents.”
Czerwiecki shares Gillespie’s passion for education and views his involvement in the program as a way to introduce another generation of students to the joys of flight.
“I’m excited, with today’s world the way it is, to be able to touch the hearts of these kids and turn them into responsible young adults,” said Czerwecki. “It’s just an exciting time for the aviation industry and for Westfield itself to get aviation into a program.”
