Maryknoll School senior Gabriel Morimoto, 16, coaches his classmate who is using a flight simulator on campus during a recent Friday afternoon when Aloha State Daily sat in.
“And you’re on the ground!” he congratulated.
Beside them, teacher Denton Alvarado closely watches another student on a separate simulator, saying, “keep the altitude at 25.”
Alvarado, a 2016 Maryknoll alumnus and original Civil Air Patrol (CAP) cadet graduate, recently returned to teach aviation, aerospace and more to ninth through 12th graders. Now, he’s working toward recruiting its middle schoolers.
In partnership with CAP, the school officially launched in 2016-2017 the Mx Scholar Program for STEM & Aerospace to provide real-world aviation training for students. Alvarado says he was one of the first students to join the program and helped “pioneer this aviation pathway.”
He notes that what initially drew him to the program stems from his childhood: seeing his dad serve in the U.S. Air Force. After high school, he became a CAP instructor and pursued a career in the airline industry, while remaining in contact with the friends he had made along the way.
Alvarado says that professional connections are critical to the success of current and future students.
“Parents are relieved when they ask me what’s next for their kid,” he said, adding that he sees his role as coaching the family, giving them next steps and putting them in contact with the right resources and people.
In-class curriculum is sourced from national nonprofit the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), including simulator practice that helps students learn the basic controls, so they feel more comfortable in a cockpit according to Alvarado. It also prepares students to earn a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) private pilot’s license.
After school programming by CAP focuses on STEM and education, leadership, aerospace, physical fitness and character, per Maryknoll’s website. As an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, CAP has been operating in Hawaiʻi since 1947 with a fleet of single-engine Cessna aircraft and small Unmanned Aircraft Systems that aid with search and rescue, emergency response and disaster relief across the Islands.
Alvarado notes that later this month, the school will celebrate a charter with CAP, which “creates a better partnership” with the Maryknoll Cadet Squadron, he said.
His goal for the remainder of the school year and beyond is to build the program for the next group of students, that’ll eventually “connect” the high school and grade school campuses.
A spokesperson for the school confirmed Monday that starting next week, the program will expand to Maryknoll’s middle schoolers.
Parents and prospective students can learn more about this program, among others, at Open House this Sunday, Nov. 8, starting at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on the grade school campus at 1722 Dole St. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. and walk-ins are welcome, the spokesperson said. Details.
Student perspective
Morimoto, a self-described Maryknoll “lifer,” or student since kindergarten, says that the school has “the best community.”
“The people here are so welcoming and since we are a smaller school, everyone is intertwined, no matter who you know or what you do,” he told ASD.
Now in his senior year, Morimoto says he is busy applying for colleges. His dream schools are Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, and California Aeronautical University.
He has visited Embry-Riddle before and knows of friends and family who went there, he said, adding that his interest in aviation sparked between ages 4 to 6.
Growing up, he would go into the cockpit to ask the pilots questions like how do you fly this or what does this and that do?
“I really aspire to become a pilot,” he said. “I’m trying to follow my family’s journeys, especially in attending Embry-Riddle. I hope I can be successful like them.”
He’s currently doing flight training with Pacific Flight Academy while preparing to take the FAA written exam at the end of the year.
“It’s a very comprehensive exam that tests your knowledge not just on how well you know an airplane, but the physics and mechanics behind it – everything surrounding it. And if I pass, I obtain my private pilot’s license,” Morimoto explained. “Currently, I have about 25 flight hours and with CAP, I have about 4 hours.”
When asked what it was like the first time he flew a plane, he said he was nervous but over time he became more confident.
For those on the fence about taking the Maryknoll’s aviation and aerospace course, he adds that though it looks daunting from the outside, “you have a lot of fun, meet new friends and do hands-on activities together.”
Teaching other classmates has been “full circle,” he said, recalling how seniors helped train him his freshman year. Some of the skills he says he’s learned in class include time management and teamwork.
What it means to be a respected leader is also something he’s learning through CAP.
“Delegation is a big topic that we discuss in our squadron and it’s an amazing leadership trait for anyone to have from a CEO to just an employee,” Morimoto said.
Looking ahead, he envisions himself flying at Embry-Riddle with the support of his mentors, family, friends and co-workers.
“It’s not just me doing everything alone,” he said. “After flight school, I really want to become a commercial pilot for Alaskan or Hawaiian airlines. I want to come back home.
“I am confident in my journey.”
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
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