After 15 weeks of preparation, Harrison Junior School reached new heights in educational programming when five weather balloon devices were launched Thursday, Jan. 10, in a project called The Harrison Wildcat Space Race.

There was a palpable buzz in the air as students, teachers, parents, administrators and media gathered on a bone-cold morning to fill the balloons with helium, and send them soaring. The balloons were filled to about 6 feet tall within minutes, launched one at a time, and within seconds soared more than 20 miles - 120,000 feet - into the stratosphere.