Brightmont Academy is offering a new rocketry club for all middle and high school students

Brightmont Academy is offering a new rocketry club for middle and high school students, including LWSD students. Students will build skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics as they learn how to design, build and fly a rocket. The Brightmont team will compete in the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC), the world's largest student rocket contest.

Who: Middle and High School students. (including LWSD students). Team Advisor will be David Stenberg.

What: TARC club

Where: Brightmont Academy Redmond Campus, 7345 164th Ave NE, Ste I-135 Redmond, WA 98052. Rocket testing at Marymoor Park.

When: November 2015-April 2015; Tentative meeting dates are: 11/7, 11/21, 12/5, 12/19, 1/9, 1/23, 2/6, 2/20, 3/5, 3/19

Cost: $900 per student. A $200 non-refundable enrollment fee applies for first-time Brightmont students.

Students who are interested should contact Campus Director Sheila Harrison by November 6th at redmond@brightmontacademy.com or (425) 373-0800. Read More>>

Team advisor

David Stenberg will be guiding the Brightmont Redmond TARC team.  David holds MS degrees in Chemistry and Computer Science.  He has been teaching technical subjects to Middle school, High school and College students for over 15 years (the last 4 at Brightmont), including summer camps with emphasis on programming, and rocketry.  He built his first model rocket at 11 and much to his wife’s chagrin is building them again...

What is TARC?

Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) has been an annual contest since 2002.  The contest emphasizes STEM skills among middle and high school students.  Each year a very specific set of technical challenges are laid out for students to design a rocketry solution  The students research, each part of the challenge, design a rocket to meet that challenge, build the rocket, test it and verify how well their rocket would meet the challenge.

TARC has been an introduction to the excitement that comes from using science, technology, engineering and math skills in a real life situation.  Students in the TARC competition can win prizes, including scholarships and a chance to compete internationally.

TARC FAQ (taken from the TARC web page)

What can we win?

Based on local qualification flights, the top 100 teams are invited to Washington, D.C. in May for the National Finals. Top placing teams split more than $100,000 in cash and scholarships and the overall winning team will travel to the United Kingdom to complete in the International Rocketry Challenge taking place at the Farnborough Air Show in July.

Who can participate?

LWSD and Brightmont students are invited to attend

Teams of 3-10 students currently enrolled in grades 7 through 12. A minimum of 5 students are needed for the Brightmont Redmond TARC team.

• The application for a team must come from a single school or a single U.S. incorporated non-profit youth organization (excluding the National Association of Rocketry, Tripoli Rocketry Association, or any other rocket club or organization).
• There is no limit to the number of teams that may be entered from any single school or organization, but no more than the best three containing students who attend the same school or who are members of the same organization, regardless of whether the teams are sponsored by that school or organization, will be invited to attend the Finals.
• Teams may have members from other schools or other organizations.
• Teams must be supervised by an adult approved by the principal of the school, or by an officially-appointed adult leader of the youth organization.

Can you describe the current contest (2016) in a nutshell?

• Submit an application for a team of three to ten students (grades 7-12) before December 4, 2015.
• Build a model rocket that carries two raw hen eggs, one vertical and one horizontal, to an altitude of 850 feet, stays airborne for between 44 and 46 seconds, and returns all parts of the rocket to the ground safely as a single connected set, using a recovery device of the team’s choice.
• The rocket must have a gross liftoff weight of no more than 650 grams, a minimum length of 650 millimeters, and be powered by commercial rocket motor(s) of class “F” or smaller with no more than 80 N-sec of total impulse across all motors.
• Fly your rocket for an official qualification score between September 1, 2015 and April 4, 2016.
• If your score from the sum of two flights is one of the 100 best, you will be invited to compete for a share of the $100,000 prize package in a national fly-off on May 14, 2016.

I have heard that model rockets require various forms of government permits and permissions to fly. What is required?

Model rockets weighing less than 3.3 pounds at liftoff and having in them only model rocket motors from the TARC approved mtor list that have no more than 4.4 ounces (125 grams) total of rocket propellant among them all require no Federal permits or permissions to purchase, possess, store, or fly. You must fly model rockets in a manner that does not endanger aircraft in flight (see the NAR Safety Code in your TARC Handbook), but no FAA airspace notification or waiver is required to fly them. Although model rocketry is legal in all 50 states, some local towns or counties have ordinances restricting or prohibiting model rocket flying.

About Brightmont Academy

Brightmont Academy is an accredited private school for grades 6 through 12 with the mission to provide one-to-one instruction to help students reach their full academic potential and prepare for college and career. At the center of the personalized learning approach is one-to-one instruction: one experienced teacher works with one student throughout every learning session. In this research-based approach, the teacher focuses on developing the academic and study skills a student needs to be a successful learner. Students can enroll in a customized academic program on a flexible schedule and start any time of year. Brightmont also offers courses for credit, tutoring for grades 3 through 12, test preparation, and college and career assessment. Brightmont Academy has served more than 2,700 students since 1999 and has campuses in Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Washington. For more information visit: www.BrightmontAcademy.com.