Building and launching water rockets aren’t just fun, they’re also an important part of teaching sixth grade boys about the scientific process, teamwork and critical thinking. 

Grouped into pairs and placed in a guild, the Middle Schoolers designed water-launched rockets, tested them, making adjustments and refinements along the way to improve their performance. “They learn about experimental design at the beginning of the year, and this is the culmination,” said Middle School Science Teacher Keena Fitch. “They learn about independent variables, like water, and they can look at what happened and fine-tune the design.”

The boys also learn how to communicate, collaborate and think through the process of achieving a goal in a team setting.

The boys, with Science Teacher Jeremy Dunn, launched their rockets on a sunny day on East Field while a group of Lower School students watched. The sixth graders then measured the distances and hoped to break records set in previous years.