Bradford math kids launch under remote control in Kenosha Pond

“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5,…” Sam Roochnik, a maths teacher at Bradford, counted backwards.

He then released the small submarine from his hand into the pond across from Bradford High School.

The submarine, operated by remote control by Bradford freshman Aident Detert, survived its maiden voyage into the pond while navigating rough and windy waters Thursday.

“I thought it was going to be a lot worse,” Detert said. “So I’m happy with the way it went.”

The entire submarine project, which culminated in the launch on Thursday afternoon, was started by students from Bradford’s Math Club and completed almost entirely by students.

Before starting in the pond, Roochnik said the students conducted several indoor tests with a fish tank on loan from the school’s Science Department. The result of the pond experiment was aligned with the results of the indoor experiment.

“It matched the theoretical controlled environment, so it’s an overwhelming success,” Roochnik said.

Detert said his favorite part of the whole process was building the submarine.

“It was fun building with everyone,” he said. “I can’t build much, but I love to build, so it was fun to build something from start to finish and figure out how it works.”

Roochnik said it was “inspiring” to see students take initiative with a STEM-related activity.

“It gives me hope for the future, especially the future in math,” he said. “They’re bright and they’re good kids.”