(FOUNTAIN) — The sound of success comes from a drone, no larger than a hand, and operated by a trio of girls known as the High Flyers who are breaking barriers at Fountain-Fort Carson High School (FFCHS).

“They came to me last year, at the end of the year, saying that they wanted to try drones next year, so I was like, sure, no problem,” STEM Coordinator at FFCHS, Harry Knight said. “It’s real exciting when you have young ladies that are encouraged by STEM.”

Using the skills they have learned in Mr. Knight’s class, these girls have gone above and beyond to already become an award-winning team in their first year of competition.

“My team this year has been actually really good, we’ve been doing great,” FFCHS Senior, Olivia Hodgson, said. “We’ve won three awards so far.”

Students work away inside a classroom at Fountain-Fort Carson High School developing their STEM skills.

Just like a sports team, this trio practices every single week to master their flight operation and ensure the programming is set for success.

“Joining the drone team this year was just a really great eye-opening opportunity for me since I just moved here, and I wanted to get involved and try something new,” FFCHS Junior Joy Delaney said. “It was a nice alternative to like playing another sport, but really tapping into like new hobbies that really will like enhance your intellectual skills or making friends in like different spaces.”

Each one takes on different roles to ensure smooth operations, Hodgson takes on the role of the pilot. She described the obstacles that come with flying, “instead of just being on an XY plane, there’s a whole Z-axis which makes things a lot, a lot more complicated. But after a while, you learn how to, like, deal with the dexterity and how to make all of your movements smooth.”

On Thursday morning, the power trio navigated the drone through a course.

Junior Kacie Whelan has the responsibility of programming where she adjusts each measurement to ensure the drone is successful at competitions. While working alongside her teammates, one would never guess the challenging first steps she took.

“It meant trying something I’ve never done before,” Whelan said. “I’ve never flown a drone in my life… so it meant trying new things. Like I had nothing, I had no knowledge about drones whatsoever and like, I had my previous knowledge of coding though.”

The drone team showcases the application of their STEM knowledge beyond the classroom, and how it can be used far into the future.

“STEM education is really important,” Knight said. “STEM is a big part of what we do every single day and I’m encouraged by the girls that I have in my class, actually all the students that I have in my class. So, this is just a great example of what we’re doing here at Fountain-Fort Carson High School.”

Meet the members of the High Flyers who are the first all-girl drone team at Fountain-Fort Carson High School.

Not only are High Flyers making a name for themselves but also paving the way in the world of STEM.

“I think it was really incredible and amazing to be part of an all-girls team since STEM is very male-dominated,” Delaney said. “It’s just a great space to really be like mentors and just kind of an inspiration to the younger generations, that it is possible and that we are here and we’re willing and we’re more than qualified.”

As students code on their computers, it is clear Mr. Knight’s STEM courses provide the groundwork for students to follow their passion and gain the confidence to soar.

“I think that the drone team is really one of the best programs we have at our school,” Hodgson said. “I think it’s really brought a lot of people together and that it’s allowed for people to find other people who have a similar mind or a hobby that, like everyone has fun doing.”

On Thursday afternoon, the High Flyers showed off their skills navigating a drone through a course.

Using their STEM knowledge and combining it with a passion for flight, this group of girls is ready to pursue their dreams and reach above and beyond.

“I want to become an electronic hardware engineer and going into a field that is like male-dominated, it can be kind of stressful because like being, a female, you think, what if I can’t make it because, well, it’s dominated by men,” Whelan said. “Being able to like, go to regionals with a female team, it’s I want to say revolutionary.”

Keep an eye out, this trio will head to the regional competition in May and could be bringing back the gold.