Rocket Academy open house draws a crowd

Interest in and support for the Rocket Academy is high, if the attendance at this month’s open house is any indication.

The Rocket Academy, the Cedar Grove-Belgium School District’s public charter school focusing on trades that opened in 2023, this year completed its Belgium facility. The school is open to juniors and seniors across the state and has already drawn students from area districts.

This month’s open house drew large crowds.

“It was a huge success from our point of view. The parking lot and street were filled all night long,” Rocket Academy Director David Friend said.

He said potential students, business owners, curious residents, grandparents and retired tradesmen made up the diverse crowd.

Students demonstrated what they learned on high-tech machines, and Governance Board members answered questions.

“Common feedback was, ‘It’s about time there was a school like this,’ ‘Where was this when I went to school?’ and ‘Oh, they still get a high school diploma. That’s good,’” Friend said.

“It also doesn’t appear that a lot of people realize this is a high school and not a college. There were also multiple inquiries about whether adults could sign up for classes. Perhaps that’s something to consider in the future.”

For more information, visit www.rocketacademywi.org.