![\"Portrait](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/lucy-greenberg.jpg\")
<\/p>\n Elementary teacher Christina Roberson, Texas Tech assistant professor Kyle Roberson
\n and student Tarali Fincke share NASA astronaut\u2019s message with local students at Stewart
\n Elementary.<\/p>\n
\t\tCREATORS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As the clock creeps closer to 3:25 p.m., students at Stewart Elementary School in
\n Lubbock grow restless. One child jumps up and down, their backpack bouncing behind
\n them. Another, having practiced their inside voice all day, finally unleashes a pop
\n song at full volume.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For seven boys and girls, the final bell doesn\u2019t mean the end of learning but marks
\n the most exciting part of their day. For Major, Emma, Jace, Ava, Noah, M\u2019Kaelah and
\n Araceli, it signals it\u2019s time for rocket club.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Today is the final meeting, and parents and grandparents have come to watch students
\n launch their masterpieces into the sky. It\u2019s an abnormally warm day for December,
\n 73 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. There is nothing to obstruct their view.<\/p>\n
![\"Preparing](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Preparing-for-launch.jpg\")
(Photo Courtesy: Sarah Tapia)<\/p>\n
Five, four, three, two, one \u2013 liftoff, they yell together as students shoots their rocket at least 150 feet into the air.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThese kids have come out of their shells, and their behavior has gotten better in Staying Power\u00a0<\/p>\n Stewart Elementary\u2019s rocket club isn\u2019t any after-school club. It\u2019s backed by College of Health & Human Sciences<\/a> researcher Kyle Roberson<\/a> and his undergraduate research team. With support from the university\u2019s STEM Center for Outreach, Research & Education<\/a> (STEM CORE), the club introduces exciting subjects to elementary students while bringing \u201cWe invite the kids\u2019 families in as part of rocket club,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s a crucial Kyle\u2019s wife Christina is a Stewart Elementary third-grade teacher whose classroom \u201cWe\u2019ve noticed parents don\u2019t know each other, even if their kids are in class together,\u201d The pair of educators discuss how difficult it can be to build community outside of \u201cWe\u2019re not doing this only to build relationships, although that\u2019s important,\u201d Kyle Family engagement at school isn\u2019t just a \u201cnice-to-have\u201d option.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to a National Center for Education Statistics survey from 2023, this kind At Stewart Elementary, where 89% of students come from economically disadvantaged When Kyle first piloted this program in 2022, he struggled getting parents involved.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a lack of parent buy-in at first,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Which he didn\u2019t fault anyone for; it was a new club and a new idea. People wanted Kyle has designed the club so that parents can come to different events throughout \u201cThey help the kids assemble the rockets and we get them working together,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The NASA Effect<\/p>\n Part of this year\u2019s success is thanks to Tarali, a nutritional sciences<\/a> major and Air Force ROTC cadet. A Houston native, Tarali was drawn to Texas Tech Her first research experience involved early childhood vocabulary, which culminated \u201cI was impressed with Tarali\u2019s work and asked if she\u2019d like to come join a project He recruited her to help with a parent-child literacy program<\/a> at the detention center in Lubbock. On one of the visits, Kyle learned a surprising Kyle, a self-proclaimed space nerd, struggled to contain his excitement.\u00a0<\/p>\n The professor\u2019s office is covered with dozens of \u201cStar Wars\u201d Lego sets and model rockets. It was an easy yes for Tarali. Space isn\u2019t just her father\u2019s domain; it\u2019s the family \u201cMy parents met working at NASA,\u201d she explained. \u201cMy dad is an astronaut and my mom Tarali plans to take her degree in nutritional sciences and attend medical school. She explains how her favorite part of being at Texas Tech is getting to do real life \u201cI\u2019ve worked in other labs before and most of the time you\u2019re working with secondary This work is not for the faint of heart, though. Kyle and Tarali are teaching third When Kyle gives instructions, he calls out to the cadets.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir,\u201d they answer, as they follow directions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Not only are the students learning more about physics than most third graders would, Earlier this fall, Tarali asked her father if he\u2019d film a video for the kids. Astronaut \u201cWhen Astronaut Fincke talked to us, he specifically mentioned Stewart Elementary Clear for Liftoff\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re exposing the kids to things they otherwise might not see at this age,\u201d Kyle The rocket club attended STEM CORE\u2019s Family STEM Night<\/a> in November, bringing parents with them. Since the program sponsors the rocket club, Most of the kids had to be dragged away at the end of the night, pleading for five \u201cThe last two years that Stewart Elementary has partnered with STEM CORE has been On the last day of club, the seven cadets walk out south of the school onto an open Their parents whoop and roar as each model rocket climbs and climbs and climbs into
\n school,\u201d said Tarali Fincke, an undergraduate assistant from Texas Tech University<\/a> who helps facilitate the club. \u201cThe kids are getting awards now and teachers talk
\n about a noticeable difference in their listening skills.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n families along for the ride.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Kyle](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/roberson.jpg\")
Kyle Roberson<\/p>\n
\n part of why we do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n became the incubator for this idea in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n Christina said. \u201cBut as they started attending rocket club with their kids and doing
\n hands-on work together, we\u2019ve seen them start exchanging phone numbers and their kids
\n now have play dates outside of school.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n school, especially at the elementary level where there aren\u2019t many chances to meet
\n other families.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Kyle](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Kyle-and-Christina.jpg\")
Kyle and his wife, Christina<\/p>\n
\n said.<\/p>\n
\n of engagement drives stronger GPAs, more consistent attendance and higher graduation
\n rates.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n households, families often want to be involved but face practical obstacles. Working
\n multiple jobs, managing inconsistent schedules or lacking reliable transportation
\n can make school involvement challenging.<\/p>\n
\n to see if it had staying power. Last semester the club had a launch with 43 adults,
\n including parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and siblings.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Stewart](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Stewart-family-1.jpg\")
(Photo Courtesy: Sarah Tapia)<\/p>\n
\n the semester before the launch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n for its scholarships and hands-on research opportunities.<\/p>\n
\n in her presenting at the undergraduate research conference<\/a> in spring 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n I had going,\u201d Kyle said.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Tarali](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/tarali.jpg\")
Tarali Fincke<\/p>\n
\n fact about Tarali\u2019s family \u2013 her father is an astronaut currently serving on the International
\n Space Station.<\/p>\n
\n Ever since he was a child, he\u2019s been fascinated by outer space. Kyle realized he might
\n have another project Tarali could work on. He explained what he was doing with the
\n rocket club and asked if she\u2019d be interested. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n business.<\/p>\n
\n is an engineer. My older brother is in Space Force, too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n She\u2019ll then train to be a flight surgeon for the U.S. Air Force, and eventually, NASA.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n data collection. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n data sets,\u201d she said. \u201cBut here, I get to go interact with participants and collect
\n that data myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n graders to handle every part of the rocket from the motor to the engine mount to the
\n shock cord.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n but they\u2019re also discovering careers they could have in STEM.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Astronaut](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Astronaut-Mike-Fincke.jpg\")
Astronaut Mike Fincke
\n (Photo Courtesy: NASA)<\/p>\n
\n Fincke was happy to oblige, sending the students a message from the International
\n Space Station. The kids were starstruck, sending back thank you letters to their \u201cfavorite
\n astronaut.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n and told us how he made rockets when he was little,\u201d Major beamed proudly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n explained. \u201cMany of our cadets have never visited the Science Spectrum or gone to
\n an event on campus. This really opens their eyes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n Kyle wanted to ensure the kids could see the bigger picture of what happens on campus.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n more minutes, recalls one parent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n a huge hit,\u201d Christina said. \u201cThey\u2019ve helped our families build community and have
\n allowed us to offer this at no cost to the parents.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Rocket](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Rocket-Club.jpg\")
Rocket Club
\n (Photo Courtesy: Sarah Tapia)<\/p>\n
\n field. They line up from shortest to tallest and take turns retrieving each other\u2019s
\n rockets once they\u2019ve safely landed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n the December sky. The rocket will be back on the ground in a few seconds, but the
\n lessons learned will last much longer.<\/p>\n