Space Challenge

Golden Hills Elementary teacher Debbie Lee is probably the most excited 5th grade teacher in Tehachapi. Mrs. Lee, who will be retiring at the end of the school year, said that she "will be going out with a bang." Mrs. Lee's class, the X Team, took home the trophy from the Intermediate Space Challenge held at Tehachapi Airport on May 18. This is the second year in a row that her class has won the top prize. Thirty teams of Tehachapi 4th and 5th graders from Cummings Valley, Golden Hills, Tompkins, Carden School, Hope Academy and Valley Oaks Charter participated in the challenge.

The competition was started twelve years ago by Marie Walker, CEO of Fiberset in Mojave. This is the seventh year of the Tehachapi competition that is sponsored by the Arts, Science and Technology Corporation of Tehachapi (AST) and organized by AST Executive Director Joel Beckmann and Mick Bowen from Edwards. Following the National Anthem sung by Audrey Welch from Tehachapi High School and a short speech from Emma Grimes, Miss Orange County Outstanding Teen and a student at Tehachapi High School, the crowd was treated to an inspirational talk by guest speaker CJ Bixby. Bixby is with NASA and is chief of their Systems Engineering and Integration branch at the Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards.

In the competition, each participating class is to build a rocket that will be launched on the day of the challenge. A student from the Tehachapi High School THEMA Program is assigned to each class to assist in the building of the rocket.

However, the competition is far more than building a rocket. The classes choose a team name, design a banner, write an essay and create a cheer. Each element is judged independently and anonymously.

The rockets themselves are judged on looks and integration as well as the altitude achieved. Altitude is measured by creating an imaginary triangle with the rocket in the middle of the base. "Sighters" located 500 feet on either side of the rocket measure the elevation angles. The altitude achieved can be figured by triangulating the angles using a mathematical formula. A problem involving simple geometry.

As each rocket is launched, Marie Walker and the National Champion Tehachapi High School Cheer Team led each class in their cheer. Two of the rockets shattered the prior altitude record of 605 feet. Cummings Valley School's Friedrich's Flying Circus set the new altitude record of 696 feet and Golden Hill's X Team came in a close second with 694 feet.

Debbie Lee's class won best spirit (5th grade), best banner (5th grade), best essay (5th grade), best all around (5th grade) and best overall (trophy). According to Director Beckmann, this is the first time a class has won two years in a row. He added that last year's trophy was retired in Mrs. Lee's class room so she will have two this year.