Students gathered around a rocket

The 8th-grade students of Chicago Heights School District 170’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Program conducted their first annual rocket launch at Grant School on October 21st.

The students, under the direction of Safiyah Malvin, David Fazzini, and STEM Assistant Director J. R. Entsminger, carried out the event as part of a cross-curricular Problem Based Learning (PBL) project.

During their Reading and Science classes, participating students researched the history of rockets, the forces associated with a launch, and contemporary uses of missile technology.

Acting upon their research each group of students built and launched their rocket, and collected data that determined which rocket had traveled the greatest distance.

Students also prepared a position paper in which they discussed their attitudes regarding space privatization.

“Events such as this one are important to the students of the STEM Program because they show real-life, practical applications of the themes they study,” Entsminger said.

“As educators, nothing is more satisfying than interacting with students in such a way that they actively explore areas that may well prove to be their life’s work,” he concluded.