Raheim Joseph is a seventh grade student enrolled in the DeLuca STEM Now program at Roosevelt Middle school. 

Initially, when he enrolled, he was very quiet and didn’t speak up for himself when working on group projects/experiments. 

Last month, the program, offered by the Urban League of Palm Beach County, organized a STEM Balloon Car Challenge and, to the surprise of many organizers, Raheim took the lead within his group and worked hard on planning a design and making sure his group followed the design and executed it properly.

For many, it was amazing to see him step out of his comfort zone and take the lead in helping his group create a balloon car.

Being a participant in the STEM program allows students an opportunity to challenge themselves and grow.

Raheim told us he loves to build things, and said he aspires to become an engineer once he is older.

And here’s a few more details on the project: students were tasked with assembling a functioning car with few materials including paper plates, straws, cardboard, tape, scissors and a balloon that was to be used to propel the car forward.

This lesson was used to introduce Newton’s Third Law of Motion. 

By the end of this experiment, students were able to explain the reason why every action has an equal and opposite reaction. They spent one class period discussing and making a blueprint for making their cars and they spent another class period using the supplies to build their balloon-powered car. 

After students finished building their balloon cars, they tested them out to see which group made cars that would successfully move in a straight direction and propel itself.