Lee County teacher launches rockets with students over Zoom

America’s return to space is postponed until Saturday, but one Lee County teacher wanted her students to reach for the stars today.

Fifth-grade teacher Courtney Black launched her own rockets in her Fort Myers backyard with her class over Zoom.

There were definitely a few glitches during Black’s rocket launch, but the lesson for her students stayed the same, the instructions simple.

“I said you need to build a rocket, you need to be able to launch that rocket, whether it’s with a slingshot or a hose,” Black said.

“It’s just such a great way to ignite the passions and imaginations of students because when you think about space, it really is unlimited.”

So is learning.

“Space science, it’s got to be hands-on.”

That can be tough to do when you’ve been apart for months, but Black did get to be with one of her students – Noah Bell – who lives nearby.

“It’s kind of like in the classroom, really, because we still got to do the experiments we usually do in the classroom, so it’s kind of fun,” Noah said.

Fun they had, and Black knows these lessons will stick way beyond today.

“These are real practical skills that we are building right now and I think that at the end of this, there are going to be some attributes and character traits that the students are going to have that no generation has had before,” Black said.

Black not only teaches at Allen Park Elementary, she also works with the Space Foundation, is part of Space Center Houston’s SEEC (Space Exploration Educators Conference) crew, and is a solar system ambassador for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.