Tharptown High School rocketry team places second in International Rocketry Challenge

FILE PHOTO - Tharptown’s rocketry team secures first place in the nation in the annual American Rocketry Challenge. From left: Angel Garcia, Adrionna Ashley, Isabella Hall, Shyla Martinez Duarte, Kylee Beard, Angie Chavez, Jessie Mitchell and Frank Gutierrez. - The team prepares to blast off for international competition in London this week.

CONTRIBUTED - Thartown High School's rocketry team places second in the international competition.

CONTRIBUTED - Tharptown High School's rocketry team places second in the international competition.

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In order to make it to that point, they secured first place in the nation in the annual American Rocketry Challenge in The Plains, VA, where they took home $20,000 for their engineering skill, also winning $1,000 for the school in recognition of the team’s accomplishments. The team scored second in the nation in the competition last year.  

“We are so thankful for the opportunity to represent the United States,” said the team’s sponsor, Areanna Orozco. “I am so proud of every single student and all the hard work they have put in. I am so incredibly proud of these kids.”  

Orozco said that while they didn’t get the result they hoped for, the team’s performance was top notch. “Winning second place is one of those things that absolutely breaks your heart but gives you that motivation to get up, dust yourself off, and try again,” she explained. “I hope they know that there wasn’t anything they could have done to change the results. They performed so well. Rockets just are unlucky sometimes. We have learned so much from this trip and are excited to apply it next year.” 

Tharptown High School has sent a team to the national finals six times since the program started in 2018. THS to has now placed in the top 10 four times, including a second-place finish in 2023.

The team is mentored by Andrew Heath, who was the team captain of the Russellville City Schools team that won the International Rocketry Challenge in 2015. “They made all the right preparations,” Heath explained, “but there is always some level of uncertainty. their launch and the winning team were within 10 points of each other.”  

The team is primarily made up of seniors – second year team members Angel Garcia and Shyla Martinez Duarte, as well as third year team member Kylee Beard, along with Angie Chavez, also in her third year on the team, senior Adrionna Ashley, junior Isabella Hall, third year member and upcoming college freshman Jessie Mitchell and first year team member Frank Gutierrez.    

Mitchell described his experience at the international competition as “very surreal.”

“I took full advantage of this wonderful opportunity, to learn new things, meet new people, spend time with my amazing team, see new things and gain new experiences,” he explained.

“As many times as I’ve dreamed about it, I never thought that our small high school would actually be the team to be standing on stage in Farnborough. Maybe not with first place like we had hoped and worked hard for, but in second, teaching me that sometimes no matter how hard you work, how good you are, or how bad you want it, it doesn’t always go exactly as you’d imagine. There’s always someone else just as good or better, and when it comes down to equal competition, it’s much more interesting and makes for a closer competition. I’m barely skimming the surface of the enjoyment, lessons and knowledge gained on this trip. This was a once in a lifetime experience for me, and I wouldn’t have given up anything to change the outcome, or spend it with anyone differently.” 

The Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville hosted them for a special day of recognition and learning before they departed for international competition. Among the activities, they toured several area facilities where work was being done on rocket parts. They got the opportunity to speak with engineers while there and to have special tours.  

“We were able to go into a couple of the NASA buildings and meet with people,” Orozco said. “The kids had a fantastic day. We have eight members on the team this year.”  

Orozco said 40 percent of the score at the international competition was based on the team making a presentation, something they practiced in front of an audience as part of their special day of Space and Rocket Center activities. 

“Toward the end of June, we built two rockets,” Orozco explained, “one using fiberglass fins and one using wood fins. When we go to the national competition, we usually take one that has wooden fins because that’s what they’re used to using, but the issue with wood is that it breaks very easily and it’s not as aerodynamic, but it’s a little bit lighter than fiberglass.”  

She said the team decided to go with fiberglass for its higher durability, a decision made one day after a practice launch where wooden fins resulted in less than stellar results upon impact.  

“We were able to fix the fiberglass fins easily because fiberglass is sturdier,” Orozco added.  

She said the team practiced in June and July getting ready for the event, explaining they met around 5:15-5:30 a.m. in order to get practice in temperatures similar to what was expected in London. Orozco said that only allowed about an hour and half to two hours for practicing at the correct temperatures and humidity, factors she said matter because they affect what must be done in order to manage the desired type of rocket launch.  

Some of the members shared their roles and what they enjoy about competing on the team. The team’s captain, Kylee Beard, builds the motors for the rockets, an activity she said she enjoys for the challenge.  

Another member, Chavez, who works on parachutes, said that although it’s “a very simple job,” what she likes is that it “has a big role on the rocket performance.” 

“This is going to be my second year on the team,” Hall said. “I enjoy the teamwork aspect of it and the creativity. I like how we get to change the payload and make the rocket go higher or lower and meet different goals every year.”  

Franklin County Schools superintendent Greg Hamilton shared his thoughts about the accomplishment. 

“Congratulations to the Tharptown High Rocketry team on their second place finish at the world championship,” he said. “Your accomplishments are amazing. Enjoy the accolades because they are well-deserved.” 

THS principal Tyler Berryman expressed his enthusiasm for the team’s performance. 

“We are so proud of the rocketry team, their accomplishments and how they have represented THS, our state and our entire nation,” he said. “While they have taken on the world and barely come up short, there is no doubt they will strive to finish the job next year.”