Keota Qualifies for the National American Rocketry Competition in The Plains, Virginia

Students at Keota high school competed in the American Rocketry Challenge placing in the top 100 among thousands of competitors, to qualify for the national competition at Great Meadows in The Plains, Virginia to be held on May 17, 2026.

The competition requires students launch a rocket to a measurable altitude of 750 feet carrying a payload of one egg. The egg must then return unharmed to the ground with no intervention in a specified timeframe. Keota High School, under the leadership of science teacher Levi Lyle, was the only Iowa representation to qualify.