Students in our STEaM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) Club have launched into an exciting new challenge as they begin work on ‘Aim Higher’, a high-altitude balloon project designed to explore conditions in the stratosphere.

This week saw the arrival of the first batch of components, and students wasted no time in getting started. During the session, they began integrating hardware peripherals with a Raspberry Pi microcomputer and conducted tests on a range of sensors. The instrument package, once completed, will include:

• Three onboard cameras, facing upward, downward, and toward the horizon, programmed to record sequentially to SD RAM.

• A GPS module to enable tracking and recovery of the payload.

• Sensors to measure altitude, barometric pressure, and temperature.

The project will culminate in the launch of a high-altitude balloon, carrying the instrument package into the upper atmosphere. Once the balloon reaches its burst point in the stratosphere, the payload will return to Earth under a parachute. We look forward to announcing a launch window in the coming weeks and will continue to share updates on the project’s progress.

The Aim Higher project is led by science teacher Mr. Charles Johnson, whose vision, leadership, and technical expertise have been instrumental in making this ambitious project a reality. Without his dedication, this unique learning opportunity would not be possible.

In a parallel session, a second group of students began preparing for the First Lego League competition. They worked with Colin Goodall, an engineer at Chandra Park Air and a registered STEM Ambassador, who introduced them to robot construction and control using the Scratch programming language.

The theme for this season’s Lego League tournament is ‘Unearthed’, which encourages students to explore the hidden wonders beneath our feet and think creatively about technological solutions related to exploration and discovery.

We are extremely grateful to both Mr. Johnson and Mr. Goodall for their support and enthusiasm in guiding our students through these inspiring STEM experiences.