NJHS Rocketry Teams Seek Sponsors

The Newark Junior High Rocketry students are in need of some fuel to power their experiments.

The students are currently designing rockets as part of their entry in the Team America Rocketry Challenge and they are hoping to raise more money for equipment.

The three teams made up of 21 students from need to raise money for motors as soon as possible, said science teacher Tom Collett. Collett said the teams plan to begin building the rockets in January.

The project can cost at least $1,200 per team – not including expenses to travel to Virginia if the teams qualify for nationals, Collett said.

And while the students have hosted fundraising events, Collett said he and the teams seek sponsorships and are willing to include logos on their display rockets and T-shirts of their sponsors, depending on the contributions given.

The Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) is an annual nationwide competition open to teams made up of students between grades 7 and 12 that is focused on rocketry-based aerospace design that involves flying challenges.

Each team designs, builds and flies a model rocket that must reach a certain altitude and fly for a specific duration that is set by the TARC officials each year, according to the TARC website.

The national championship, held in Washington, D.C., in May, is open to the top 100 teams and the prizes include $60,000 in cash and scholarships for the top 10 teams.

About 7,000 students compete in the Team America Rocketry Challenge each year. The TARC began in 2002 and is sponsored by Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and the National Association of Rocketry (NAR).

To learn more about the competition, visit www.rocketcontest.org or watch the video above.