MOSES LAKE — Hundreds of young students and their families packed the halls of Longview Elementary Thursday night for “Take Flight STEM Night,” a growing regional series aimed at sparking early interest in science, technology, engineering and math across Grant and Adams counties. 

The hands‑on event – one of three scheduled this spring – brought together local schools, industry partners and STEM educators for an evening of experiments, demonstrations and classroom activities designed for K–5 students. Organizers say the goal is simple: show kids what’s possible. 

For Drew Boettner, a test engineer with Kent‑based rocket company Stoke Space and one of the night’s featured presenters, the impact of events like this is personal.  

“I think back to the science nights I had in elementary school,” he said. “They set up telescopes and pointed them at Saturn, and I still think about that now. It was inspiring – maybe the primary reason I decided to go into engineering.” 

Boettner said he sees the same spark in students today.  

“Most of them are pretty stoked – pun intended,” he said. “Introducing kids to ideas they wouldn’t otherwise encounter matters. Giving them the resources to actually build something, whether it’s a model rocket or a big Lego set, is huge.” 

He also said he was surprised by how many families were unfamiliar with Stoke Space’s work testing rocket engines at the Port of Moses Lake.  

“Maybe 10% of the room had heard of us,” he said. “Getting to show them what we do and hearing parents say, ‘I didn’t know this was happening here’ – that was really cool.” 

The event was organized by NCW Tech Alliance, which runs STEM programming across seven counties. STEM program manager David Estrada said this year’s series is supported by a Boeing grant after last year’s Garden Heights event drew more than 1,400 participants. 

“Boeing loved what we did and asked us to do it again – just make sure it’s educational,” Estrada said. “That’s why we focus on hands‑on activities. It’s the best way for kids to learn.” 

Estrada said about 300 people attended the Longview event, slightly below the group’s goal but still a strong turnout. Each STEM night is designed with increasing complexity: Garden Heights Elementary will host a more advanced version on March 19, and CB Tech will hold a high‑tech edition on April 2. All events run from 5 to 7 p.m. and are free to the public. 

Families from across the region – including Warden, Othello, Ephrata and Quincy – are welcome as long as they bring a K–5 student. Pre‑registration is encouraged but not required. 

Estrada said the broader mission is to show students the range of careers available in a rapidly changing economy.  

“There’s more out there than just retail or the jobs they see every day,” he said. “Manufacturing is changing. Agriculture is changing. Robotics and automation are everywhere. We want kids to see that STEM is part of their world and they can be part of it too.” 

Take Flight STEM Night  

March 19, 5-7 p.m.
Garden Heights Elementary
707 E Nelson Road, Moses Lake
Register here: bit.ly/3OHCuKc 

April 2, 5-7 p.m.
Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center
900 Yonezawa Blvd, Moses Lake
Register here: bit.ly/3MKpnaB

    The Longview Elementary gym was packed full of students and parents for the first Take Flight STEM Night of the year. There were around 200 attendees.
  

    A student works on her crafting skills after she finishes one of her hands-on projects at the Longview Elementary Take Flight STEM night.
  

    Students throw their handmade “airplanes,” which they learned had to be thrown with a spiral to go further.
  

    A student works on taping her “robotic hand.” The project used strings, paper and plastic straws to build a moveable paper hand.
  

    At the Longview Elementary Take Flight STEM Night, there were four hands-on STEM activities for students to participate in.