One of the highlights of Ms. Maria Fernandez’s Earth and Space Science course is the Build Your Own Rocket lab, which has been a student favorite for eight years. Before the lab, Ms. Fernandez’s classes learned about rockets’ history and multistage rockets. Multistage rockets are launch vehicles that use up two or more launch stages while in motion. Unlike many other experiments done at Riviera, this lab helps to simulate what a real-life rocket test is like.

For this project, sixth graders have three days to build personalized rockets from different types of paper and cardboard materials provided by Ms. Fernandez. When it is time to test, each class goes to the athletic field to see which student’s creation launches the highest from the provided launchpad.

While some sixth graders succeeded with the experiment, others were not as lucky. However, by the end, they all learned what it takes to build a sustainable rocket. For example, sixth grader Jack Sanchez was confident in his design, but his rocket did not launch. “I messed up by failing to tape the left side of the rocket tight enough, which ultimately led to my rocket failing,” said Sanchez.

Ms. Fernandez feels these trials are a cool and interactive way for students to enjoy a fascinating experience while staying engaged with the class content. “I was hoping that they would better understand Newton’s laws of motion, the importance of a good design for a rocket, and also the importance of following directions,” said Fernandez. It also gives students a memorable experience they can look back on in their first year at Riviera. “Most importantly, I was hoping that they would have a great time and remember this experience,” said Fernandez.

Whether a rocket soared to the sky or barely bruised the outside of the launchpad, a fun time is cooking in Earth and Space Science at Riviera.