Garfield Heights Middle School wins NASA TechRise grant; district sets March 5 State of the Schools

A staff member for Garfield Heights City Schools announced that Garfield Heights Middle School gifted students were selected for NASA's TechRise High Altitude Balloon Challenge and will receive a $1,500-equivalent grant and mentorship to build an instrument called "Storm Seeker" that will measure pressure, temperature and humidity from a weather balloon.

The staff member said the middle school team was one of 60 school groups chosen from more than 720 proposals nationwide. As part of the award, a NASA engineer mentor will meet with the students weekly on Wednesdays through May 2025 to help build and test the project. The district said updates on the project will appear on the Future Engineers website aligned with NASA.

The staff member described the project as an instrument to help measure storm intensity and said the grant is provided in a $1,500 equivalent amount to cover materials and mentorship costs. "Congratulations to the Garfield Heights Middle School gifted students for their outstanding accomplishments and all the best as you continue with your experimental project," the staff member said.

District officials also announced a State of the Schools presentation on Wednesday, March 5, at 6 p.m. at the Center for Performing Arts at the high school. The event will include showcases from each school; district staff said families are invited and pizza will be available. The staff member said more STEM highlights will be shared at the event and in future district communications.

The announcements were delivered as part of routine district remarks and did not include additional budget details or formal board action on the project.