The
Kirby-Smith Middle School Challenger Learning Center S.T.a.R. Interns have achieved their qualifying flight for the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC), the largest model rocket showcase on the planet.
On a gray and windy afternoon on Sunday, April 6, the students, their parents, their Senior Flight Director, Sheree' L. Kearns, and a National Association of Rocketry official patiently waited for a launch window for the rocket at the JEA GIS field adjacent to the Duval County Public Schools building.
Working quickly around the weather, the S.T.a.R. Interns successfully launched their qualifying flight. The rocket, which had to fly for 45 seconds and land without breaking the two raw eggs on board, coasted to 746 feet, returned to the landing site with the eggs unbroken, and traveled for 53 seconds. The numbers were submitted to TARC headquarters and were entered into competition against all registered teams.
A total of 690 teams from 48 states and the District of Columbia are registered for the first stage of the challenge. If Kirby-Smith Middle School’s score is one of the 100 best, the team will be eligible to participate in the national finals in Virginia on May 17.
"This is our first attempt at TARC," said Kearns. "I'm very proud of the determination and vision of the students and their parents who help make this journey in knowledge possible."
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