Students from the Onteora Rocket Club in Woodstock are testing out their rockets for an annual competition.

Rocket club president Vincent Christofora has been in the club since the seventh grade, thanks to his father, who started it in 2019.

“I’ve been building rockets with my dad and my little brothers since i was around four or five, and we've been launching them,” Christofora said. “I really enjoy it.”

The club is offered for students in seventh through 12th grades. Christofora, who said the club has opened doors for him, is excited for what the future holds.

“This summer, I plan on going to Syracuse University and taking an aerospace engineering program there for two weeks,” said Christofora.

Christofora is not the only student that is passionate about building rockets. Seventh-grade student Giuliana Frisenda is also excited for what the program provides for her.

“I want to be an aerospace engineer, which, basically, you're building spacecraft and airplanes and stuff like that,” said Frisenda.

“The students get to design, build, learn how to glue, measure, cut materials and actually build the rocket and then launch them,” said the co-advisor of the rocket club, also named Vincent Christofora.

Last year, the Onteora Rocket Club was an alternate selection as a team for the National Finals of the American Rocketry Challenge, which featured 724 teams from 41 states. The club hopes to improve on its finish for the 2023 competition.