Novi Introduces $61M State-of-the-Art STEM Center at Catholic Central High School

It’s been an exciting week for students in Novi, as Catholic Central High School proudly showcased its brand new $61 million STEM center.

The innovative center comes packed with a series of groundbreaking features. Notably, the center houses an observatory and telescope that enables the spotting of stars even in broad daylight, a 5,300-square-foot robotics competition space, and an aviation simulator.

The RedBird 180° Flight Simulator is a key highlight of the center. This enables students to practice flying an impressive range of 20 different aircraft. Through the Ground School program in Catholic Central, these young aviators are able to train on the same types of simulations used by Air Force pilots.

According to Amy Ely, the school’s director of STEM, all the training hours in these simulators are FAA certified. This means that students can add these hours toward their pilot’s license, and gain more practice before they hit the skies.

The STEM center doesn’t stop at aviation. It also includes a state-of-the-art machine lab for building robots. Here, students can program and operate their own creations. It’s especially exciting that the school plans to open this machine lab to other robotics teams that may not have access to such advanced equipment.

Moreover, the observatory dome is given a special focus. It’s perfectly equipped for students to view, track, and photograph stars, later using these images to enrich their in-class learning experience.

In an exciting move for the wider Novi community, Catholic Central says it plans to host Star Parties later this year. These events will showcase real images of space that have been captured by the students – an exciting glimpse into the cosmos!