Aim for the Stars

About the program

Aim for the Stars brings rocketry and physical science instruction into middle school classrooms in South Florida. It was founded and is run by a high school student, and it has reached 91 students across two schools.

Founder

Nolan Arias

Nolan Arias founded Aim for the Stars, runs it, and teaches the sessions. He is a student at NSU University School.

Like many of the students he teaches, he grew up near Florida’s Space Coast. That is where his interest in rocketry started.

The founder holding up a bottle rocket while explaining the build to a class in a school library.
Running a session at Lawton Chiles Middle School.

Focus

Why Title 1 schools

The program prioritizes Title 1 schools in South Florida. The first school it worked with, Lawton Chiles Middle School, is a Title 1 school, and 31 students there built and launched water bottle rockets as part of a session that also covered states of matter.

  • Aerospace is growing. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of aerospace engineers to grow 8 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations. Source
  • Hands-on engineering builds interest. A National Academies review of STEM education found indications that experiences combining science and engineering can support students’ interest in STEM. Source

Record

Delivered so far

91
Students reached
2
Schools served
By school
School Students Delivered
Lawton Chiles Middle School Title 1 31 Water bottle rocket build and launch, plus states of matter
NSU University School 60 Estes model rocket launch on a commercial solid motor with parachute recovery, plus aerodynamic forces

Structure

How the program runs

Sessions

A school selects a preset of one, two, or three sessions. The modules that fill the track are chosen to fit the grade level, the class period, and the topic the class is studying. The program supplies the rockets, the launch equipment, and the instruction.

See the tracks and the module library

Session leaders

High school students 15 and older volunteer as session leaders and run builds and launches alongside the founder. No prior rocketry experience is required, since the modules are documented and the equipment is the same at every school.

Volunteer as a session leader

Host a session

Sessions are scheduled around your calendar and matched to what your class is already studying.

Request a session

Volunteer as a session leader

High school students run builds and launches alongside the founder.

Volunteer