The Students, Their Mentor, and a NASA Mission: The Power of Annual Fund Support

5/28/2025

A spark ignited in 2016 when four students and Mr. Jim Seibyl ’83 discovered their shared interest in rockets. Together they launched the University School Rocketry Program.

Fueled by student interest, the leadership of Mr. Seibyl, and Annual Fund support from our school community, the trajectory of the Rocketry program has tracked University School’s emergence as the top school for STEM in Ohio – offering boys and young men another opportunity to identify and pursue their passions.

Earlier this month, our Rocketry team traveled to Huntsville, Alabama for NASA’s Student Launch Initiative (“SLI”), a program primarily for college students and the culmination of years of efforts to grow our program.

The journey to Huntsville was a long one. From its inception in 2016 to earning a Top 15 finish out of almost 800 teams at the 2023 American Rocketry Challenge to qualify for NASA’s SLI, US Rocketry has spent countless hours designing, building, testing, and refining rockets. After-school planning sessions, test launches at the athletic fields, and regional competitions are just a few examples of the commitment of our team members and the valuable guidance of Mr. Seibyl.

For two of our most recent graduates, Danny Pikovskiy ’25 and Vio Pavlidis ’25, participating in the Student Launch Initiative (SLI) was a meaningful experience that also serves as a foundation for future plans. According to Danny, “Huntsville was the culmination of the year’s work,” and being part of the event offered an opportunity “to see what other teams were working on, observe how they approached the university SLI challenge, and learn about current NASA projects.” Reflecting on his experience “witnessing the club go from an informal group to actively competing against college teams,” Vio emphasizes rocketry “provided a space to explore” his interests.

Danny and Vio also believe rocketry will shape their paths in college and beyond. Vio shared, “without rocketry, my intended major of Aerospace Engineering might not have been a reality,” and emphasized, “I would not be the person I am today without rocketry.” Similarly, Danny credits Rocketry for “helping me find my passion for the aerospace field and choosing to study either aerospace or mechanical engineering at MIT.

Their experiences are a clear reminder of your impact when you support the US Annual Fund. During the past decade, alumni, parents, and friends have made special Annual Fund gifts, directed to the program to support the purchase of materials and parts for rockets as well as travel to Rocketry Team events. These gifts serve as another example of how Annual Fund donors partner with US to help boys discover and develop their passions.

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