High Altitude Balloons

Verified Non-Profit

Verified Non-Profit

The Description

PROJECT OVERVIEW: https://www.balloonchallenge.org/

DESCRIPTION:

The experiences of our youth drive the future.

When students are in high school, they are exploring what they want to do and what they want to become. They are constantly asking questions, taking risks, and dreaming of what their future will hold. I believe it is my job to give them positive tangible experiences that will help them make their dreams become a reality. I want to push them to reach their potential through a variety of challenges that will excite and motivate them to become life-long learners and contributors of our world.  

My students are part of a small school district. They choose my course as their elective and endorsement area because they have the aspiration to go into a post-secondary STEM field. However, since they are from a small school district, the funds are very limited. The experiences in my class will drive them closer or further away from going into a STEM related field.  

The money in this project will supply four student groups that contain 5 to 6 students each with the funds they need to to build a high altitude balloon for the Global Space Challenge. The Global Space Challenge will be part of a project based learning unit that explores force, motion, energy, pressure, work, and other physics concepts.

The challenge has a creative component that will expect students to conduct and complete their own science experiment while it it is in flight, and it allows them to record information from the flight. This requires that they have a budget for science experiment supplies and for a camera in addition to their balloon materials kit. https://www.balloonchallenge.org/get-involved

 MATERIALS:

Back Up Plan

If I do not meet my goal I will purchase all or some of the following: 

-Materials for our bridge building project like basal wood and glue. 

-Materials for the roller coaster challenge like: wood, tubing, train track, cars, and glue.

-IFly Field Trip- Part or all of the trip, depending on what money comes in. ( I am still in the process of preparing for this field trip)

-Materials for our building insulation study, which will need a variety of types of insulation. 

-Materials for a drone or a drones kit, which range in price from $500 to $1000 for everything.

-Google Cardboard Kits, so students can create these virtual reality goggles from scratch. 

Fundraiser Updates (1)

High Altitude Balloon and Funds Update

March 22, 2016

Although we didn't get ALL of the funds we needed, we are very thankful for what we did receive.  We got enough money between this and other donations to get us started. My students will be launching 2 high altitude balloons for the Global Space Balloon Challenge at the end of April or beginning of May, with all of the funds we have received as well as the money I personally donated. 

https://www.balloonchallenge.org/

I will post more pictures at the end of the project!

 

Thanks for your support!

 

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About the Creator

I teach STEM courses at Sunnyvale High School.

I describe myself as the teacher that teaches dreaming.
I help students make connections between what they are learning in their classes with what is going on in the world around them.
I show them the importance of research. I give them hands-on meaningful experiences, and I enhance their expertise in the area of STEAM.
I believe my purpose is to ignite their passion and creativity, while to giving them the tools and experiences that they need to soar.

Investments (4)

$25

Anonymous

8 years ago

$25

Anonymous

8 years ago

$52

Anonymous

8 years ago

$5

Anonymous

8 years ago