A Creekview High School (Canton, GA) team won the National Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) on Saturday and now is headed to international competition.

The winning team led by student Captain Amanda Semler is made up of Austin Bralick, Nick Dimos, Bailey Robertson and Andrew White. The students are part of Creekview High School’s Aeronautics Team program sponsored by teachers Todd Sharrock and Tim Smyrl.

In addition to the team’s cash prize of $10,500 plus $1,000 for the school, the team will travel to London in July as the guests of the Raytheon Company to compete against top students teams from the United Kingdom, France and Japan at the Farnborough Air Show — the biggest aerospace show and exhibition in the world.

To win the National competition, the team during the event at the Great Meadow in The Plains, Va. outscored 712 teams made up of more than 5,000 students from across the country. TARC is the world’s largest student rocket contest; teams design and build a model rocket that can travel to exactly 825 feet and back within 48-50 seconds while carrying two raw eggs that must return safely to the ground undamaged.

A second Creekview High team, led by student captain Josh Whitley placed 49th, so both of the school’s teams placed in the Top 50!

The students and their teachers will be recognized by the Cherokee County School Board and Superintendent at the Board’s meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

This was the fifth time a Creekview HS team competed at the National finals. The Aeronautics Team program at Creekview HS began in 2008 under the direction of Mr. Smyrl and Mr. Sharrock, both science faculty members at the school. The team, which is made up of 36 students in Grades 9-12, also benefits greatly from sponsorship and the use of facilities operated by the Georgia Model Aviators.

Creekview High School Aeronautics Team program members are: Miranda Bourdeau, Ryan Bowman, Austin Bralick, Zach Chester, Nick Dimos, Cody Edwards, Rafael Escamilla, Bryan Garriques, Walter Grogan, Jesse Halverson, Michael Hoffman, Maddie Holman, Chris Hoover, Parker McMahan, Lee Marble, Brady Neilson, Joey Nelson, Nathan Olivares, Dalton Parrott, Bailey Robertson, Christian Schaefer, Amanda Semler, Jacob Sokolove, Jeremiah Stewart, Josh Terry, Liam Vincent, Emma Vosika, David Wang and Josh Whitley.

The team is seeking corporate sponsors and donations to cover the cost for the families of the winning students to travel to London with them for the international competition. For information, please contact Mr. Sharrock at (770) 720-7600 or todd.sharrock@cherokee.k12.ga.us.