GPMS science students study environment, rockets

Phil Weagraff’s seventh grade science students recently began their year-long study of the Palouse River.

The experience originated several years ago to give the students some exposure to the science of their local environment.

The students begin by collecting macro invertebrates and matching them with a water quality chart. When the students are in eighth grade they further develop their skills in assessing the quality of the water in the river, using kits that measure dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, pH balance and other attributes.

The Garfield-Palouse Middle School Rockets Class, led by Weagraff, held their first launches of the school year on a sunny day in late September.

The students first researched the concept of flight from planes and helicopters to rockets, studying the physics and design of each.

They then worked with paper airplane designs before moving on to the rocket phase, building their enthusiasm by watching the movie Apollo 13.

The students’ initial rockets were built from kits and then successfully launched in the Middle School’s baseball field, achieving flights of several hundred feet into the air.

The students will next design and build their own rockets from common, safe, household items and these homemade rockets will also be launched into the sky.