In 2018-19, the school started a computer-aided three-dimensional interactive application (CATIA) program for students interested in learning engineering skills. Wichita State University instructor Michelle McAdam teaches the class, which is a multi-program software suited for computer-aid design.

“This year, I am taking the class along with the students, then next year I’ll take over the as the actual teacher,”Jonathan Morgan said.

Boeing, Spirit and other companies use CATIA for engineering functional 3D parts. Students have textbooks with different examples of 3D parts and work problems. Then the instructor goes through the problems and lectures on different subjects.

“I love the instructor; she is so willing to help, and she does a good job of explaining everything about CATIA,” MacKenzie Kirk (12) said.

The CATIA class does not require any specific skill or grade level, except a GPA of 3.0. Each CATIA class, Morgan and his students have something new to learn.

Each month, the students take a quiz, then McAdam tests them over the material they learned for each particular section.

“I picked CATIA as a class because I’m planning on majoring in mechanical engineering, so I need to know how to use CATIA,” Kirk said.