Rocketry club aims for mix of competition, exploration

By: Kaela Avila

In the midst of all the returning clubs this year, a new rocket club has sprung up this fall. Only an idea last year, it has now officially been set to meet together the first Tuesday of each month in room 30 at 3 p.m.  The club is led by math teacher and rocket enthusiast Zeb Nicholson.

“It is an easy going, extremely exciting activity,” Nicholson said. With the idea of building custom rockets and launching them at the high school, students will be able to experience the thrill that rockets bring in flight, while unknowingly learning bits of aerospace and teamwork skills.

“This club is both casual and competitive,” Nicholson said. He said those who want to join with their friends are able to work on group projects, and those who prefer to attend alone are able to work individually; the only requirement is a desire to build rockets.

The club also aspires to attend regional rocket launches around the end of October and beat the world record for the fastest custom rocket launch this first semester.

“We hope parents, sponsors and companies could help with the supplies of these rockets. It is very inexpensive,” Nicholson said on the topic of supplies.

The club is welcome to donations, with items such as clear plastic tubes, balsa wood, super glue, styrofoam cones, elastic cords and several others items adding up to generally less than a single Andrew Jackson. With the donated parts, students will be able to build for many weeks to come.