Going Up!

“I found it!” shouted Matthew DuBois ’26. After hours of hiking through dense brush east of Julian, we were sweaty and scraped, but the excitement was undeniable. We had just recovered the payload of a high-altitude balloon (HAB) that the third-grade class launched from the LJCDS campus. The payload, a lunchbox full of electronic sensors, cameras, and experiments, was designed to stay warm and operational in the frigid stratosphere.

The journey began on the varsity field that morning when third graders released a helium-filled balloon. It soared to approximately 100,000 feet, where low atmospheric pressure caused it to expand to 20-30 feet in diameter before bursting. Suspended beneath a parachute, the payload drifted back to earth, finally landing on a rugged mountainside more than 50 miles east of campus.

Connecting Science, Engineering, and Design
This HAB project was more than just a thrilling launch; it was an interdisciplinary learning experience. In the third grader’s design and innovation class, they explored engineering concepts, designing and testing parachutes while practicing data collection and graphing. When they rotate to their science class, they will analyze the data, study weather patterns, atmospheric layers, and the behavior of gases, directly connecting their classroom learning to the real-world application of a weather balloon.

As the third graders were designing the experiments, Upper School students Anthony Casey ’28, AJ Hamson ’28, and Matthew worked in the Innovation Lab, designing and building Arduino sensor units for the payload. They applied their coding, 3D printing, and sensor integration skills to develop instruments capable of measuring acceleration, altitude, and temperature, just as the third graders requested.

Expert Guidance from Blue Dot Education
Following the morning launch, Lower and Upper School students met with Blue Dot Education educators to review the flight, track live GPS data, and brainstorm ideas for next year’s project. The collaboration with Blue Dot, which has guided over 30 student-led HAB launches nationwide, ensured a smooth launch and recovery process, complete with real-time GPS tracking, allowing students to watch the balloon’s flight path and predict its landing.

The younger students eagerly anticipated the results, predicting outcomes of the experiments they included in the payload, like how marshmallows would react to air pressure changes or measuring temperature with various liquids. When asked to sum up the day in one word, they responded with: “Incredible!”, “Inspiring!”, “Amazing!”, and “Awesome!”

Truman May ’34 captured the thrill: 

“This experience mattered because I felt extreme excitement during the launch and satisfaction seeing our designs, experiments, and predictions come to life. Holding a marshmallow that had been to space and understanding why it changed after flight inspired me by what we had learned and accomplished in class!”

Matthew DuBois ’26 shared:

“Our school’s deep belief that education extends far beyond the classroom and all of the work we did preceding the launch came together to make our successful recovery efforts in Julian possible. I was thrilled to help realize our third graders’ vision of the balloon and the data it would collect, which will enrich their science classes as they study the Earth’s weather cycle.”

A Model for Interdisciplinary Learning
The HAB project embodies the spirit of the new HUB for Human Impact at LJCDS—a collaborative space where students from every division can tackle real-world challenges.

Through this project, students gained hands-on experience in:

This immersive approach brought science and engineering concepts to life, fostered collaboration across grade levels, and ignited curiosity and innovation. As for next year, here’s hoping the payload will land closer to the side of a road for an easier recovery!