TARC team meets in preparation for nation-wide competition

The+TARC+team+from+left+to+right%2C++juniors+Abigail+Hicks%2C+Denitsa+Dimitrova%2C+Elizabeth+Young%2C+Maren+Kelley%2C++Ryoma+Harris%2C+senior+Ethan+Schroeder%2C++junior+Gabriel+Chester%2C++and+senior+Jefferson+Mathews+%28not+pictured%29.

Naia Smith

The TARC team from left to right, juniors Abigail Hicks, Denitsa Dimitrova, Elizabeth Young, Maren Kelley, Ryoma Harris, senior Ethan Schroeder, junior Gabriel Chester, and senior Jefferson Mathews (not pictured).

The Team America Rocketry Challenge team meets every Monday to prepare for the national fly-off event held in Northern Virginia on May 18, 2019.

TARC encourages creativity and craftsmanship for middle and high school students with a realistic engineering experience. TARC participants must design an aerospace vehicle that meets specific mission requirements. Model rockets must fly an altitude of exactly 856 feet while remaining safe and stable. Rockets must also stay in flight for 43 to 46 seconds and return a payload of three undamaged raw hen’s eggs.

Scholarship prize money ranging from $20,000 for first place to $5,000 for tenth place will be awarded to the top ten ranking teams from the National Finals. The U.S. 2019 champion will compete against teams from around the world, such as the United Kingdom, France, and Japan.

“I’m excited to see how well a large group can work together,” said senior team leader Ethan Schroeder.