March 5th was a cold and windy day, but the Scouts’ rocket was ready to launch. After four weekends of meticulously gluing together fins, tubes, and nose cones, their custom built spacemodel was loaded with parachutes and a motor for its delicate mission. The rocket was specially designed to carry one Grade A hen’s egg to 850 feet and gently return to the ground in 45 seconds without breaking the egg, as part of the Scouts’ entry in the The American Rocketry Challenge (TARC) contest.
This annual contest, sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry, combines hands on STEM education and teamwork exercises for students in 6th thru 12th grades. Teams launch local qualification flights with the top 100 scoring teams being invited to the national competition held in Northern Virginia in May. The top 10 finishers share over $100,000 in scholarships and prizes.
Seven BSA Scouts from Stafford County’s Aquia District formed a team to compete in the TARC for the first time. During the build sessions, members divided up construction jobs under the direction of Peter, their Senior Patrol Leader.
Some Scouts worked on the engine mount and payload section, while others designed and cut out the fins. They used a software program for altitude predictions to help the Scouts match the best motor for the mission. “I liked working out the calculations and figuring out which size motors would get us the most height.” said Chase R. who ran several altitude predictions.
As part of their preparations, the team flew smaller rockets to learn the basics of construction and launch operations. Some Scouts even started building and flying their own models. Once at the launch site, each team member contributed to final assembly, integrating payloads and checking to ensure all systems were “Go”.
Although the team did not qualify for the national competition, several Scouts are eager to try again next year. In addition to a great team-building and STEM experience, the activity counted towards the Scouts’ Space Exploration Merit Badge.
The team was sponsored by the National Association of Rocketry’s Rappahannock Rocketeers Club. Educators or students interested in participating in next year’s events can contact NARsection908@gmail.com for more information.
Ready to begin your family’s Scouting adventures too? To join BSA, please go to www.beascout.org to find a BSA Scout unit near you – Cub Scouting serves families with children in Kindergarten through 5th Grade; Scouts BSA serves familieswith children ages 11-18. There are BSA programs for families with older Youths, ages 14 – 20,including Venturing, Exploring or Sea Scouting.
The mission of the BSA is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling the values of the Scout Oath and Law. Aquia District includes Stafford County, VA, and Marine Corps Base Quantico. For more information on Scouting in the Stafford/Fredericksburg area, including how to donate, join or volunteer, contact Kristy Freeman, Aquia District Executive, at Kristy.Freeman@Scouting.org or call (540)287-3866
As the Scouts gathered at the entrance to the Administration Building, they were greeted by a very important person in local government. Dr. Pamela Yeung, Chairman of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors, happened to be walking by and took the time to share wisdom and insights with the Scouts about the importance of community and her own support of their willingness to engage in Scouting and took photos with the Scouts.
From there, the Scouts visited the General District Court, Judge Angela O’Connor, presiding. In Judge O’Connor’s courtroom, the Scouts observed misdemeanor traffic cases. Judge O’Connor talked with the Scouts from the bench, answering a myriad of questions about criminal law and procedure. The Scouts learned about the differences between misdemeanor and felony cases, a jury versus a bench trial, and how the courtroom operates.
At Building Momentum, skillsets are taught in record time. As we write this, eight scouts are half-way through an 18-hour Innovation Academy Exploring Program designed to teach youth ages 15-22 skills in fabrication. This six session program focuses on: welding, 3d printing, robotics and coding.
When I walked into session three of the program, I wasn’t sure what to expect. If you’ve 3d printed before, you know that the printing itself is the driest and can go on for hours. At Building Momentum, the youth were not twiddling their thumbs though! They got into another experience while they waited: assembling 3d printers from new-in-box conditions. This offered an excellent understanding the components and mechanics of the printer.
In the first two sessions, scouts had already welded. Some kids welded together metal frogs, some wrote their name in metal. Not just to earn a merit badge, but to really develop confidence, comfort and skills holding a welder.
Summer Camps 
Students will get the real-world experience of time management while completing several hands-on projects throughout the week. This is a fast-paced camp best for students who are eager to learn and put in the hard work.
Montgomery County Police Department has been hosting a youth career development program, Exploring, for decades! Their Explorer Post 1986 is eager to lend a hand to the scouting community and will host 2 workshops teaching the Fingerprinting and Traffic Safety Merit Badges.
On April 22, 2023, George Mason University’s Chemistry Club is opening their doors to Webelos/AOLs/Scouts BSA and STEM Scouts for guided chemistry workshops!
Last week, NCAC’s STEM programs participated in the Rockville Science Center (RSC) grand “re-opening” celebration. Our STEM Scouts and STEM Explorers joined dignitaries, including Rockville Mayor, representatives from the Rockville City Council, Montgomery County Council, and Rockville Chamber of Commerce, to present Post 1010’s Advisor and RSC President, Bob Ekman, with six awards. NBC anchor Melissa Mollett emceed the event, spoke of her own children’s interest in science, and chatted with our representing Explorers, Scouts, and advisors.
