Ballenas Secondary Payload Team

Hello there! We are a group of 20 highly dedicated and passionate students from local Ballenas Secondary School who have been given the opportunity of a lifetime! We were contacted by the University of British Columbia Rocket’s Team and were asked to design and build our very own cube satellite which will be launched on their rocket in June! In fact, we are one of the few high schools selected in BC to contribute to this phenomenal project!

This project has given the youth in our community the opportunity to expand their knowledge in science and technology and more importantly, to gain important personal skills such as group collaboration, strong communication skills and the ability to solve complex problems. We are a group of growing scientists, and building a functional satellite from scratch has allowed us all to prosper in our own unique ways. The type of learning that captivates young minds is where they are curious and fascinated about the subject, and this project is a perfect example of an engaging learning experience. For the numerous students moving onto university, this venture will be an invaluable stepping stone in their educational careers. UBC is one of the top universities in all of Canada and it is a huge honour for us high school students to be given the opportunity to build a satellite for their esteemed Rocket Team.

We are very proud to be able to represent our school and community in this incredible project, especially when a group of us travel to New Mexico for the Spaceport America Cup. This international competition draws the top universities in the world such as MIT, Stanford and Caltech and we will have the opportunity to view the work of these prestigious institutions first-hand! This educational trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity for high school students and will be a memorable experience for all. We need the support of our community for this project to be a complete success! Not only will these funds go towards the many important materials required to build our cube satellite, it will also help pay for the travel costs to New Mexico so we can witness our satellite be launched 10,000’ into the sky! This project is an amazing learning experience for the youth in our community and will give us the opportunity to represent Parksville on the world stage. Donate to help make our dream a reality!!

We appreciate your support and encourage you to follow our progress on our Facebook page!