Stellar parallax is a concept that is dealt with infrequently in the high school classroom other than by qualitative consideration of stereoscopic parallax and argument by analogy. Use of stellar parallax for distance determination can be difficult for students to understand without some type of hands-on experience to explore the concept. Thus, the purpose of this paper is first to describe a practical, guided inquiry-based approach that uses smartphone camera technology to introduce stellar parallax to students in high school physics. This leads both students and teachers to understand the concept and, in the process, engages them actively in science. Second, the authors briefly present students' and their teachers' reactions to the laboratory exercise that indicate both a high level of engagement and a deep understanding of the methods used by astronomers. (Contains 6 figures.)