Costa’s Aerospace Engineering Club is an inspiring community where students from all grades collaborate to explore the world of rocketry. Physics teacher Jonathan Lewis oversees the club, founded in 2022. They meet weekly to learn about advanced topics and create designs for aerospace competitions.
Senior Noah Weiss is the current president. Inspired to take on this role, Weiss found that concepts often omitted in common core classes could be applied in real-world challenges through the club.
“What began as a small group [of students] sharing ideas about model rocketry soon evolved into a team working on more sophisticated projects,” said Weiss. “Serving as president has allowed me to harness our collective passion, leading us to participate in national competitions and develop complex [designs] in-house.”
The club is managed very carefully by both Weiss and his vice presidents, seniors Shane Sheth and Tesla Pratt. The three work together to break down their bigger goals into smaller milestones that everyone in the club can work on together.
“We hold weekly meetings to review progress, discuss setbacks, and plan next steps,” said Weiss. “Open dialogue is encouraged, and we view failures as natural parts of the engineering process. By emphasizing the excitement of exploring new frontiers, we keep motivation high even in the face of challenges.”
Because students of all levels are welcome to the club, there are often concepts that many have not learned yet. To counter this, Weiss and other knowledgeable members hold lectures during club meetings to teach interested students about complex subjects like aerodynamic principles, computer-aided designs, and calculation methods. According to Weiss, this shared knowledge helps break down communication barriers and build cohesion.
“I really enjoy Aerospace because it taught me how to apply the physics we were learning in class [to the real world],” said junior club member Jett Purser. “It made me want to learn more. I also really enjoyed learning about 3D fabrication and designing our own nose cones that would be used for the rockets.”
The team’s goal is to compete in the American Rocketry Challenge. The project that they will enter in the competition is a model rocket featuring an active canard guidance system—a technology rarely seen at the student level.
“A notable aspect of the design is our custom printed circuit board (PCB), which integrates multiple sensors, including accelerometers, gyroscopes, and barometric pressure sensors, all feeding data into our flight control algorithms,” said Weiss. “We also employ lightweight yet durable materials, such as carbon fiber–reinforced 3D printing filament, to achieve the necessary balance between strength and weight.”
The objective of the competition is to build a rocket that can reach exactly 820 feet in the air. The club’s first year competing was last year, when they built their rocket, STRATA. According to Weiss, despite some malfunctions, the rocket was a good introduction to rocketry competitions. This year, the team is competing with a similar design, but they have made some major improvements.
“Although we faced setbacks along the way to our current design, these experiences taught us the importance of rapid iteration, effective troubleshooting under pressure, and maintaining thorough documentation,” said Weiss. “The lessons learned from these competitions have contributed to our preparation for future challenges.”
Co-vice president Sheth has been a member for three years and has witnessed the club’s growth from the beginning. Sheth says he is grateful for the experiences that being a part of the club has offered.
“I’ve learned so much about rocketry and engineering as a whole,” said Sheth. “From designing rockets for the American Rocketry Challenge to listening to lectures about interesting aerodynamic principles, to building cardboard boats to practicing building under material constraints. The Aerospace Club has been some of the most fun I’ve had at Costa.”
By participating in competitions, writing reports on projects, and posting YouTube videos, the club aims to champion student-led aerospace initiatives and demonstrate that innovative breakthroughs can emerge from Costa clubs. Offering regular updates, behind-the-scenes looks, and educational content, the club’s Instagram (@mchs_aerospace) has amassed over 16,000 followers.
“We see our club’s influence extending far beyond the campus,” said Weiss. “By documenting and publishing our research, we aim to contribute to the broader body of knowledge in student aerospace projects. Sharing both our successes and setbacks helps other teams learn and accelerates progress across the field.”
It’s worth emphasizing that despite the club being very focused on STEM, it still explores areas outside of engineering. Such as a marketing competition the club facilitated where members could submit a video showcasing the aerospace program for the chance to win $3,000. With ambitious plans for the future and a thriving community of passionate students, Costa’s Aerospace Engineering Club isn’t just launching rockets—it’s launching futures.
“I strive to foster a culture of innovation and teamwork, ensuring that every member—regardless of background or experience—has the opportunity to learn, experiment, and contribute,” said Weiss.
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