Michelle Davis, principal at Detroit’s Davis Aerospace Technical High School, has a seven-year tradition of inviting friends to her building on the first day of the school year to welcome students with applause and positive words as they enter the building.
The tradition is known as a “clap-in,” and Davis has invited her “village” to participate in the ritual long before she became principal of a public school where some students have received a pilot's license before a driver's license.
However, the recent start to the 2026-2027 school year in Detroit came with a twist for Davis. Because for the first three weeks of the school year, Davis Aerospace Technical High School was temporarily housed at the S.A.Y. Detroit Play Center, 19320 Van Dyke,
which is operated by the nonprofit S.A.Y. Detroit founded by Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom.
But on Sept. 15, Davis Aerospace, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, returned to the Coleman A. Young International Airport (named after Detroit's longest-serving mayor who also was a Tuskegee Airman) after being away for more than a decade.
This meant that Davis needed to invite friends from across the city to attend two clap-ins this year. And as she tells it, clap-in number two may never be topped because of its historic nature.
“All of the clap-ins have been special, but for sure our clap-in on Sept. 15, as we returned to Coleman A. Young International Airport, was the clap-in of all clap-ins,” said Davis, a former Detroit Murray-Wright High School Pilot (Class of 1988) and a 30-year career educator in Detroit, who in 2023 became the principal at Davis Aerospace, a school committed to preparing students for careers in aviation.
“We have come back to the airport as we celebrate 40 years of flight as a school this year, and the atmosphere at our clap-in was absolutely electrical and amazing and humbling. And our kids were so excited, grateful and humbled by the support — there were smiles everywhere.”
Davis explained that the smiles on the faces of students and adults came after a 13-year struggle waged by supporters of the school.
The struggle began in 2013 when Davis Aerospace was moved from its original airport home — a home that connects students directly to the aviation field — and placed at the Golightly Career and Technical Center, 900 Dickerson, off East Jefferson.
This move took place during a time when financial and operational decisions for Detroit’s public schools were not made by an elected voice of the community in the form of a school board voted in by Detroit residents, but instead by a state-appointed emergency financial manager.
Fast-forward to Tuesday morning Sept. 15 — beginning about 15 minutes before sunrise — and there was no doubt that the voices of Detroiters who came out to welcome Davis Aerospace students were indeed being heard, along with music provided by Michelle Davis’ childhood friend, Charles Thomas (aka D.J. Base), who helped to create a super positive vibe that was appreciated by all.
“We are so excited because the heavens have opened up and our babies are returning to the airport, which they should have never left,” said Angelique Peterson-Mayberry, Wayne County Commissioner for District 5, who spoke over the music and the cheers that poured in for students that entered a newly created space at 11499 Conner, which had previously been an airport passenger terminal.
Peterson-Mayberry, who served on the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) School Board from 2017 through July 2025 continued: “We stayed resilient and we really fought to ensure that these young people in public education get an opportunity to learn not only how to be in planes, but how to fly them and repair them. It's a great day for DPSCD and particularly Davis Aerospace.”
During the "great" clap-in morning, Peterson-Mayberry's voice was heard by everyone. This occurred when she stepped forward to take over on the microphone from Davis, who had been providing commentary, including identifying every student by name as they walked down what resembled a Soul Train (or better yet, a Detroit Scene) dance line, with supporters packed close together in two parallel lines facing each other while offering up high-fives and other forms of encouragement.
The students soaked up the love as they walked through the cozy space between the lines towards their new school entry.
Even the few students that Davis described as "shy" and "reserved" could be seen cracking a smile while walking through the throng of well-wishers. And in at least one instance, a student shed tears.
There were many emotional moments for the adults that came out, too.
“When Principal Davis calls about coming out at 7 o’clock in the morning to clap the students in, I have to be here because I support the program," said Rainy Hamilton Jr., president, owner and principal in charge of architecture at Hamilton Anderson Associates, an award-winning, Detroit-based multi-disciplinary design firm.
"African Americans are underrepresented in the aerospace industry, so I support this completely, especially now that it is back at Coleman A. Young International Airport," he said. "The interaction between the students and the professionals, along with the equipment and technology, is just a wonderful thing."
As Hamilton spoke, Rodney David Deal, vice president of Education and Outreach for the Detroit Historical Society stood tall nearby, his arms folded in-between spurts of applause, accompanied by a proud expression on his face which he explained a few minutes later.
“I have been a friend of Principal Davis for over 40 years and I know she is an advocate for students achieving the best education possible," said Deal, who like Davis graduated from Murray-Wright High School (Class of 1987). "So, to see this airport be reactivated into an aviation school for Detroit students is absolutely incredible, and it is a sign that Detroit is really coming back.
"It also lets our students know that we are building a better Detroit for them and future generations."
In addition to the rock-star treatment given to the arriving students, Davis Aerospace supporters also expressed their appreciation to the parents that dropped off students on time for the start of the school day.
But there was one parent who was not content with just dropping off his daughter and driving away.
This parent parked his vehicle and then found a comfortable spot in one of the lines of enthusiastic supporters outside the school entrance, where he began cheering for all of the students.
“I love this and I’m glad the school is back at the airport; we’ve been waiting for this day since last year,” stated Tacuma Lampkin, whose daughter Adria Lampkin, a 10th grader at Davis Aerospace, began to think about aviation after doing a project in elementary school that introduced her to Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel in space.
“My daughter was at the top of her class in math last year, so she’s looking forward to taking AP (Advanced Placement) classes this year. And she’s concentrating on the airplane mechanic program here at Davis Aerospace High School, along with becoming a drone pilot."
Tacuma Lampkin said his parental involvement at Davis Aerospace is one of the most important ways that he "looks out for the dream," as far as his daughter is concerned.
But he also confided that he hopes Davis Aerospace does not remain "one of the city's best-kept secrets" forever, and that in the future even more students can fulfill their dreams at the school, which currently has an enrollment of 115 students.
"Davis Aerospace High School is a very unique school in the city of Detroit and the country," said Lampkin, who also toured the new school facility with other Davis Aerospace supporters after all of the students had entered the school to begin their classes, which started at 8 a.m.
"I don't think people fully understand the opportunities and capabilities that this school offers," he continued. "Ms. Davis and her staff offer classes here that are not a part of the school system on a regular basis.
"Regardless of if a student learns to fly a plane before they leave here, they will still have the foundation to go further in their lives. And the fact that this is paid for by our city tax dollars, I think it's appropriate for us to have this kind of opportunity for all of our students in the city of Detroit."
A Detroit public high school that ‘takes flight’ at Coleman A. Young International Airport
What: Davis Aerospace Technical High School, located at 11499 Conner, on the grounds of the Coleman A. Young International Airport.
Mission: Opened in 1986, Davis Aerospace Technical High School is named after Benjamin O. Davis Jr., who became the first African American brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force and was the commander of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. Housed today in a newly-imagined space that was formerly an airport passenger terminal, Davis Aerospace serves grades 9 through 12 by “immersing students in the dynamic world of aviation through a specialized hands-on learning experience. Students explore: Aviation history, including the history of African American aviators; aviation careers; flight fundamentals; and aircraft systems. As students advance, they can join the CTE Flight Training Program, where they study unmanned and manned flight concepts; prepare for the Remote Pilot Certificate; and gain real-world experience using simulators and piloting actual aircraft.
Learn more: Please visit https://davisaerospace.detroitk12.org
Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city’s neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at stalley@freepress.com. Read more of Scott's stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/. Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit's aviation-focused high school lands back at its airport home
