Schoolhouse Dolly Ridge students build payload for rocket launch

By NEAL EMBRY

Students in Rachael Franklin’s fifth-grade gifted students class are designing part of the payload for a soon-to-be-launched United Launch Alliance rocket that will monitor weather data in rural areas.

Vestavia Hills Elementary School

Dolly Ridge is the only elementary school in the country to take part in the program, which otherwise involves high school and college students who submitted proposals to ULA, Franklin said.

The rocket will be launched in Colorado in July and the hope is that the devices, in the shape of pyramids, will be able to collect data before coming back down. The students will come back to school and analyze the data. They have made 3-D designs, analyzed results of tests and built circuit boards and other parts of the payload.

The work began in November and the project was submitted in February and approved.

“It’s a very quick turnaround for students who aren’t used to doing technological engineering,” Franklin said.

The students have been “very dedicated and very creative,” she said. “The first test got shattered, but instead of complaining, they simply went back to work.”

The weather data will come from rural areas and can be given to residents to document the impact of severe weather, which can be used to help keep residents safe and possibly improve insurance coverage. The students also plan to help use the device as part of a weather warning system in rural Alabama, according to their application to ULA.

“It will save a lot of money for people in rural towns,” student Benjamin Black said.

The 2021 class also built a similar device, though it only gathered part of the necessary data after the device broke in half upon launch.

The students code the equipment, design and use a 3-D printer to make the product. They properly code the circuit boards to communicate with the sensor on the device’s base, which is set up to tell the device what to analyze while it is in the air, Franklin said.

“This really is a great experience for learning and it’s a way to show what you’ve learned,” she said.

Each student has different strengths, so roles are determined based on those. While Franklin prints on the 3-D printer, the students do all the work.

“It’s just kind of fun to see what they’ll come up with,” Franklin said. “They really have to do it all themselves.”

The students have enjoyed talking with the rocket scientists and other professionals at ULA, who have been helpful, Franklin said. They’ve even interacted with the company CEO on Twitter.

Team members include: George Cochran, Benjamin Black, Cora Moorhouse, Reid Purvis, Lizzy West, Will Ennis, Kate Howell, Caleb Martin, Ryan Wu and Olivia Bodkin. The students will have an opportunity to go to Colorado and see the rocket launched.

‘Protecting our legacy’

Over the past 53 years, our Vestavia Hills school system has distinguished itself as one of the best. This is directly attributable to the unparalleled support it has received from our community.

Since the school system’s inception, the citizens of Vestavia Hills have been called upon three times to approve property tax increases to meet the needs of the schools. Each time, our community has answered the call.

Much has changed since our last property tax election in May 1990. In a brief span of time, between 2011 and 2015, our schools grew from 6,000 students to more than 7,000. To meet the needs of this dramatic increase, we added two campuses, new classroom additions and larger cafeterias, gymnasiums and libraries. We also increased the number of teachers and support staff in order to maintain low class sizes, meet the increasingly complex needs of our students and continue offering unique academic opportunities.

These needed investments have placed financial limits on our ability to carry out our mission.

Vestavia Hills City Schools has a plan to protect the legacy of excellence that our community has come to expect. We will protect student experiences by strengthening academic opportunities, by adding new world language and STEM classes for all elementary students. We will provide a greater level of support for teachers and students. We will protect school experiences by renewing, repairing and revitalizing our decades-old facilities with a focus on safety, health and accessibility. We will also add much-needed learning spaces for academics, arts and athletics on the elementary, middle and high school campuses. The annual investment needed for this plan is $8.2 million, which would be funded through a proposed 9.8-mill property tax increase. All of the revenue from this tax increase would be allocated to our school system.

Vestavia Hills voters will have the opportunity to vote “for” or “against” the plan on Tuesday, May 9. Please make sure to verify your polling location, as it may be different from the general election last November; you may visit the city of Vestavia Hills website for information at vhal.org.

The return on protecting our legacy of excellence will be seen for decades to come. The experiences for our students will be invaluable. And because our schools are the crown jewel of Vestavia Hills, it will enhance the value found in our quality of life, economic vitality and property.

Horace Mann, considered the father of American education, made an astute observation when he said, “No community should rest contented with being superior to other communities, while it is inferior to its own capabilities.” I believe that the capabilities in Vestavia Hills to accomplish our mission are limitless. I am confident we all agree on that.

You can learn more about this plan by visiting 1rebel1future.com.

Todd Freeman Vestavia Hills City Schools Superintendent