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Growing District Enrollment with Drones: San Diego Unified x Parks & Recreation
Tuesday, March 31, 2026 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
Presented by Sarah Hillard, CTE and Science Teacher, Millennial Tech Middle School, San Diego Unified School District (CA); Abel Garnica, Recreation Services Supervisor, City of San Diego Parks and Recreation; and Adrienne White, VP of Marketing, Robolink
Sponsored by Robolink
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Discover how a city partnership powered the Aerial Drone Competition to become an enrollment driver for Millennial Tech Middle School, one of San Diego Unified School District’s growing schools.
This edWebinar features two pioneers of middle and high school drone programs in San Diego: CTE Teacher Sarah Hillard and Abel Garnica from San Diego Parks and Recreation. Together, they outline what it takes to launch and sustain a successful drone competition program. You hear how drone flight immediately engages students (no building required), why drone competitions are uniquely equitable (results depend on student effort, not budget), and how a partnership can solve problems some schools can’t crack on their own: space, staffing, and long-term sustainability.
You leave with a flight plan for your own drone program, covering:
- Pre-flight Check — How to make the case to your principal or district
- Takeoff — Securing your first small grants and getting equipment in students’ hands
- Altitude — Building a city or community partnership that keeps the program flying through staff changes and budget shifts
- Landing — Using your drone team as a school recruitment and community engagement tool
Plus: You get the contact info for the RECF Aerial Drone Competition support manager in your region, who can help with grants for new drone teams.
This recorded edWebinar is of interest to K-12 district leaders, principals, STEM coordinators, CTE directors, CS and STEM teachers, and afterschool program directors.
About the Presenters
Sarah Hillard has been a CTE and Science Teacher at Millennial Tech Middle School since 2013, giving her over a decade of experience inspiring students through hands-on STEM learning. She has led competitive drone and robotics teams that not only excel in competitions but also mentor younger students, collaborate with community partners, and use technology to solve authentic challenges. As a Department of Defense STEM Ambassador (2024–2025), Sarah expanded access to STEM opportunities, connecting classrooms with real-world applications that prepare students for college and career pathways. Sarah was also honored as the RECF Western Region Middle School Coach of the Year in 2024.
Abel Garnica is the Recreation Lead at the City of San Diego, where he develops programs in emerging technology and youth development. He brings innovative STEM programs to life, empowering participants with hands-on skills in drone operation, teamwork, and technical problem-solving. As a Regional Support Specialist for RECF, Abel also supports Aerial Drone Competition events throughout the western United States.
Adrienne White is the Director of Marketing at Robolink, where she oversees brand, product, and content marketing and helps students’ futures take flight from classrooms to the Aerial Drone Competition. Formerly at Quizizz and Ozobot, Adrienne is passionate about growing educational technology brands with big missions and supporting communities of STEM and CTE educators.
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Join the STEM Learning community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, and receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars.
Robolink makes career-launching drones and learning experiences for grades 5 and up. CoDrone EDU, the drone designed for classrooms and the RECF’s Aerial Drone Competition, allows students to program with Blockly and Python to build CS, STEM, and future-ready skills from their first flight. Learn more at robolink.com.
The Robotics Education & Competition Foundation (RECF) inspires students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) through hands-on, affordable, and curriculum-based robotics and drone programs. Since the Aerial Drone Competition’s inaugural season in 2020, participation has grown more than 1,000% from 191 teams to over 2,200 teams in 2025. Learn more at recf.org.
