Registration | Log In

Search Grants | Fulfilled Grants | More About Find It, Fund It, Florida

Share

Please share this page to help in fulfilling this grant.

Goal

The PURPOSE of this competition is to foster an interest in model rocketry, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) subjects and aeronautics.
The GOAL of the program is to give kids the unique educational experience of building and launching their own solid-fuel powered rocket.
The MISSION of the program is to keep alive the memory of the 1st Teacher-in-Space Christa McAuliffe, and the Artist who walked on the Moon, Astronaut Alan Bean. 

What will be done with my students

Students will research and report on the history of the space program in Florida. They will also research science, technology, engineering, and math careers. This research includes which colleges/technical schools offer their chosen STEM field, how much money the needed training/college will cost, where they can live with the chosen career, and how much money they will make at the beginning of their career and how much they can expect to make once well established. They will also research significant milestones in the Space Race, starting with Sputnik and ending with the Apollo 11 mission. Some of the Florida Standards that will be addressed include: SC.912.E.5.7--Relate the history of and explain the justification for future space exploration and continuing technology development, SC.912.E.5.0--Analyze the broad effects of space exploration on the economy and culture of Florida, ELS.9-12.C.4.1--Conduct research to answer a question, refining the scope of the question to align with findings, and synthesizing information from multiple reliable and valid sources. Students are required to assemble their rockets on their own, with no physical help from an adult. The ability to follow complicated instructions is an essential literacy (and life) skill. Students will keep a log of data from the contest. Student work will be graded using a rubric.
 

Benefits to my students

In 2010-2011, I entered my 5th grade class in the National Reach for the Stars Rocket Competition, a contest for students aged 10-18 who build and launch their own rockets in which the goal is to land as close to the target as possible. A grant provided funds for half of the students and the rest was provided through classroom funds and donations. The competition was held for all of 4th and 5th grade to watch with their families during a school picnic. It was a huge success. In the 2011-2012 school-year, the project was expanded to all 5th grade students at the school. To accomplish this, the local Education Foundation provided 2/3 of the funding needed to benefit all five 5th-grade classes (the remaining funds were procured through a SAC grant). The entire school came out to watch the rockets launch during this week-long event, along with various business and community members. The most exciting aspect of it all was that our local student WON the national competition! The reward was a 2-night trip to the Kennedy Space Center and Astronaut Hall of Fame. A “real” astronaut who had been to space seven times was there to hand out the awards. In the 2012-2013 school-year, the project was repeated with the entire grade level. The school winner was not the national winner, but that doesn’t mean that the project was any less successful. If even one child’s interest in STEM was “ignited”, then it can be considered a success.
In 2013-2014 year, the program expanded to approximately 125 students through the generosity of the local Education Foundation. For the second time in 4 years, the local program produced a national winner! She and I attended the finals in Huntsville, Alabama, and enjoyed a true October Sky experience. She competed against the top 10 from across the country and had the best two overall launches AGAIN! The best part was that she received her award from Homer Hickam himself, the author of October Sky. I was contacted by a former local graduate, Dr. Eric Stewart, who is now a REAL rocket scientist at NASA. He served as our personal guide at the US Space and Rocket Center.
This was the beginning of what is now an 9-year streak of national winners for the local program between 2014 and 2023. I came to Volusia County in 2019. Donations from friends and family and an anonymous donor to the FUTURES Foundation allowed me to start the program here at Pine Ridge High School. I paired with the Air Force JROTC so that 60 students could compete. From the 2020 competition, two students qualified for the National Finals! We traveled to the US Space and Rocket Center in October 2021 for the celebration. Both PRHS students that won the local competition in 2022 were among the top 5, and one was able to attend the celebration October 22, 2022. We received word this month that the 2023 winners Ayden Shaw and Gabriella Nobels are invited to the championship in Alabama October 2023.
Our local program has produced winners in 10 of 12 years. Students have attended national celebrations at the Kennedy Space Center, Astronaut Hall of Fame, and the US Space and Rocket Center. They have been presented awards by two-time space shuttle astronaut Cmdr. Bob Springer and author Homer Hickam. I have former students who participated in 5th grade who are now in college studying STEM fields who say their interest began with this competition.
Hopefully the FUTURES Foundation will choose to fund the project for our 13th year. We hope to hold the competition BEFORE winter break, so the sooner it is funded, the better.
This experience is particularly significant considering Florida’s integral part of rocketry and space exploration. This project supports STEM and will help approximately 40 Pine Ridge High School students experience real-world science and math applications. The entire school will be invited to watch the launches. This activity has helped to ignite interest in science, technology, engineering, and math in all students who watched, not just students who participated, so the number of students impacted is much larger than the 40 who actually build and launch the rockets. Local press, school board members, and FUTURES Foundation Board Members will be invited to watch and possibly be guest judges. 

Budget Narrative

The cost for 40 competitors (kits, engines for 2 launches each, launch kit, and entry fee) is $1000, or $25 per student.  

Items