Waterford, Michigan is a popular township for outdoor recreation for nature enthusiasts—it is picaresque, dotted with dozens of lakes, lakefront homes, and vacation rentals to pass the warm summer months before Michigan is buried under feet of snow once again, starting in the fall. Waterford Township may be known for its hunting, fishing, waterskiing, and camping sites, but without one of its important features, many people would have a difficult time getting to the area to visit. This feature is the Oakland County International Airport, located in the northeastern portion of Waterford Township.
The Oakland County International Airport was opened in 1928 on 160 acres purchased from the city of nearby Pontiac. Initially a small airport in the early days of aviation, Oakland County International was an important stopping point for small aircraft piloted by private citizens. It wasn’t until 1930 that the airport received national attention. In fact, Oakland County International was the first airport to receive an A-1 rating from the U.S. Government.
Today, the U.S. Government and private companies alike issue rankings to different airports across the United States. The criteria for these airports has shifted throughout the years, taking into account new technology and new practices that typify travel that, several years or decades ago, were not standard practice. Oakland County International was the first to qualify for the highest ranking of all the ratings in the United States, due to its efficiency, size, cleanliness, safety, and reasonable accommodations afforded to travelers and pilots alike. Rankings and certificates such as these keep airports accountable, encouraging those who run them to not only take pride in their work, but provide the best service and experience for travelers, regardless of their destination. Whether they are on their way to a week on one of Waterford’s many lakes, or en route to a ski trip, or just coming home from a time away, airport safety, security, comfort, and efficiency are constantly scrutinized and ranked year by year.
Like the rankings that apply to the Oakland County International Airport’s practices, grades also keep students accountable for the work they do in the classroom. They provide a gauge for the academic progress of students, as well as rank the relative level of mastery a student displays in a given subject. At the same time, however, grades can feel daunting. They can slip. They can disappoint the recipient. Grade Potential tutors in Waterford Township are there to consult students and help them recover grades that should be higher. Like the experts who issue airport rankings in the United States, tutors show students ways to improve in their academic habits and progress, so that eventually, everyone can be as “A-1” as the Oakland County International Airport was in 1930—the first and best of its kind.
