Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2014 | Page 5

physical science classroom and our
everyday lives. I strive to pass on this
excitement to my students.”
It’s safe to say that Delcourt infuses
science with excitement. This past
spring, his freshmen Honors Physical Science classes launched weather
balloons that traveled 100,000 feet up
to the edge of space - that’s more than
twice the height at which commercial jets fly. From that data, students
learned about the jet stream, layers
of the atmosphere, and Newtonian
physics.
Delcourt’s inspiration for the balloon
project came in 2009, when he noticed in the national news a weather
balloon project at MIT. He strategized
how to turn it into a meaningful experience for his classroom. “Each time
I’ve done this project, students have
jumped in full force. Just mentioning the term ‘space’ seems to get kids
captivated. I think this project really
inspires kids. Seemingly large scientific feats aren’t just for television.”

Four hours after students launched the weather balloon and data capsule, the
balloon reached space and popped. Carrying its camera and data recorder, the
capsule returned to earth. The GPS data, plotted above, showed the path of the
balloon. The forecast for the jetstream needs to be just right; if students launched the
balloon in the wrong conditions, it would be swept out to sea.

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Glenn Rose ‘17 explained,
“I was on the capsule design
team; we created the layout
of the capsule, where the
devices should go, and why.
Our challenge was to fit
all of the devices into the
capsule, keep it functioning
as an aerodynamic object,
and have successful recovery.
When you’re in Mr.
Delcourt’s class, it doesn’t
seem like something you
are forced to do, he makes
science interesting. After
taking his class you look at
the world differently, whether
it’s testing the chemical
makeup of an object or
determining how fast an
object is moving.”

POSTSCRIPTS

Katie Prior ‘17 said, “Mr.
Delcourt’s teaching style
is truly amazing. In class,
he explained everything in
detail and in a logical way,
and also was considerate of
different students’ learning
styles. He managed to
reach all of his students
to give them an in-depth
understanding of physical
science. The passion Mr.
Delcourt shows for all
sciences is motivating; he
applies all the learning to
real world experiences, so
that we could see physics
and chemistry everywhere
we go and realize what an
amazing world we live in.”

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