A team of high school students from Alabama will compete for global honors in rocket building at the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow.
The students from Tharptown High School in Russellville won the American Rocketry Challenge in May, topping 922 teams in the overall competition and the top 100 that faced off in the national finals in The Plains, Virginia.
They earned $20,000 for designing, building and launching a model rocket with greater precision than any others, and they are working to replicate that success at the airshow near London.
“We all work together as a team and come together to give input,” said Kylee Beard, team captain. “We have one senior on our team, one sophomore, and the rest of us are juniors, so we’re looking forward to success in the years ahead.”
Tharptown High School is no stranger to success on the launch pad.
The school has sent a team to the national finals six times since the program started and has now placed in the top 10 four times, including a second-place finish in 2023.
The team is mentored by Andrew Heath, who was team captain of the Russellville City Schools team that won the International Rocketry Challenge in 2015.
“Alabama is the cradle of the nation’s rocket program, so it’s fitting that a group of young Alabamians are excelling in this field,” said Brenda Tuck, Rural Development Manager for the Alabama Department of Commerce.
“By winning this national rocketry championship, these young people have demonstrated the type of innovation and ingenuity that comes from our state. We wish them the best of luck at the international competition at Farnborough,” Tuck added.
To get ready for the national finals, the Alabama students prepared for months.
The challenge required their rocket to safely carry one large hen egg to an altitude of 850 feet, stay airborne for 43 to 46 seconds and return to the ground safely.
“Tharptown High School’s journey to the top required teamwork, innovation and hands-on problem solving that will be valuable for decades to come,” said Eric Fanning, CEO and president of the Aerospace Industries Association, which co-sponsors the competition with the National Association of Rocketry and other industry partners. “Can’t wait to see what they do on the international stage at Farnborough Air Show in July!”
Along with Beard, team captain and motor builder, other team members and their team roles include: Angie Chavez, parachutes; Shyla Martinez, payload; Angel Franco, launch setup and retrieval; Adrionna Ashley, team helper; Jessie Mitchell, launch setup and retrieval; Isabella Hall, flight sheets; and Frank Gutierrez, launch setup and retrieval.
The American Rocketry Challenge is now in its 22nd year and has inspired nearly 95,000 middle and high school students to explore education and careers in STEM fields.
UPDATE: The Alabama students finished in second place in the international competition.
