Montini Catholic science club members have a blast with stomp rockets

Posted May 06, 2021 11:00 pm

Submitted by Montini Catholic

Montini Catholic's science team, including, from left, sophomore Francesca Spizzirri of Oak Brook, Kenny Sledzinski of Westmont, sophomore Alex Silveyra of Carol Stream, and freshman Zander Montgomery of Lombard, prepare to test their handmade rockets. Courtesy of Montini Catholic

Members of Montini Catholic's Science Club took advantage of the awesome weather on Thursday, April 29, to test their handmade "stomp rockets."

Montini Catholic's Alex Silveyra, a sophomore from Carol Stream, tests his rocket with teacher and co-moderator Dr. Larry Misialek offering an assist. Courtesy of Montini Catholic

Science enthusiasts have found the rockets a fun way to put engineering and math skills to work - as well as stomping skills as was found out.

Bronco Science Club members analyzed their data to support the claim that Newton's Second Law of Motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net forces on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.

Montini Catholic's Zander Montgomery of Lombard gets some height to test his handmade "stomp rocket." Courtesy of Montini Catholic

The Bronco science enthusiasts learned that stomp rockets, while a simple concept, can have a surprising amount of variability in the altitude they achieve.

"Each group designed their own rockets using a template or one they found online," said Sandy Deiber, Science Department Chair and club co-moderator. "They could only use paper and tape to build the rocket, while the launchers were made of pipe, tubing and a plastic two liter bottle."

Montini Catholic's Zander Montgomery of Lombard propels his handmade rocket with a big stomp, with an assist from teacher Dr. Larry Misialek. Courtesy of Montini Catholic

By eliminating drag and streamlining their designs, students learned they could make their rockets fly higher and farther - and had a "blast" doing it.

The Montini Catholic Science Club explores interesting and creative ideas related to science through labs, activities and a science trivia game.

Learn more about Montini's Student Life offerings at www.montini.org.

Montini Catholic, a Lasallian College Preparatory High School, is located at 19W070 16th St. in Lombard.

For information, contact (630) 627-6930 or info@montini.org.

Follow www.facebook.com/montinicatholic.

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