GPS engineering students team up for bottle‑rocket project

Fifth-grade students at Oak Tree Elementary recently applied their space studies by designing and launching bottle rockets on the school playground.

The project was part of a partnership with Mesquite High School’s engineering sciences career and technical education program, giving younger students hands-on experience in basic aerospace design.

The collaboration was coordinated by Alexis Mason, a technology integration educator who works with teachers to incorporate technology into classroom lessons.

Mason partnered with Mesquite High engineering teacher Jason Black and Oak Tree Principal Dale Lunt to connect elementary curriculum with high school engineering opportunities.

While Mason facilitated the partnership, Mesquite High students created and managed the project.

For the activity, high school engineering students designed and built a custom bottle‑rocket launch system. They tested different materials to create a system that was safe, functional and affordable for elementary use.

The final design used PVC pipe and manual air pumps to generate pressure.

The high school team also prepared the materials — plastic bottles, cardboard and paper — so the younger students could focus on designing their rockets.

Mesquite High students visited fifth‑grade classrooms to explain how the launch system worked and outline project goals.

Using two‑liter bottles, tape and cardboard, the fifth graders created rockets with different fin shapes and weight distributions to improve height and stability. High school students served as consultants, helping troubleshoot designs and celebrating each successful launch.

The Mesquite High team included Alex Flores, Barrett Harstad, James Crosby, Mya Quintero, Nathan Le and William Alatorre, all enrolled in the engineering sciences CTE program offered at Mesquite High and Desert Ridge High School.

Mesquite High is the only campus in the district that offers a specialized aerospace engineering pathway, covering propulsion systems, flight physics and orbital mechanics.

Students involved in the project said it reinforced skills beyond technical knowledge.

“If you can’t manage your time or communicate with your team, projects fall behind,” said Le, a fourth‑year aerospace student. “Learning to catch problems early and adjust is something we’ll need in any engineering career.”

Quintero, a junior, said the experience underscored the importance of communication and planning.

“Engineering isn’t just building something," she said. "It’s brainstorming, planning, working with the people around you and knowing your audience. As we’ve done more projects, we’ve gotten better at planning ahead, managing our time and explaining things in a way the younger students could understand.”

District leaders say partnerships like this help students see long‑term academic and career pathways by connecting elementary lessons to advanced programs available in high school.