Award-winning robotics teams visit with school board

by David Hill Editor Award-winning robotics teams from Challenger Elementary School and Franklin Middle School delivered a presentation to the Board of Education in Thief River Falls on Monday, March 25. Franklin Middle School fields three VEX robotics teams, and Challenger Elementary School fields five teams. All are advised by Robert Fay and a team of parents. Fay is the TechForum manager at DigiKey, and has been the VEX robotics advisor at the school for many years. Interest in the program at the schools remains strong. Fay reported Monday that seven fall camps in September and October were attended by over 200 students. The competition season then began in November with practices taking place at CES on Mondays and Tuesdays, and on Thursdays and Fridays at FMS. VEX Robotics states it is educational robotics for everyone. “VEX solutions span all levels of both formal and informal education with accessible, scalable, and affordable solutions. Beyond science and engineering principles, VEX encourages creativity, teamwork, leadership, and problem solving among groups.” According to The Knowledge Hub, “Robotics is not just a theory of the future anymore, it is a part of our present reality now. Apart from its multiple uses in various industries, robotics is also an exciting and innovative teaching tool that is becoming increasingly significant as kids learn a variety of new concepts and abilities that will be highly helpful in the future through recreational activities.” VEX also states that “The VEX Robotics competition prepares students to become future innovators with 95% of participants reporting an increased interest in STEM subject areas and pursuing STEM-related careers.” Students from Franklin Middle School and Challenger Elementary School participated in numerous competitions during the year, and have won the state competition numerous times. At the end of this year’s competitive season, the Ninja Bots, a team from CES, had been named the Skills State Champion. The Ninja Bots also placed second in teamwork, and won the Build Award. Bots United, another CES team, had won the Energy Award. Other rankings included 10th, 12th, and 27th in Teamwork, and sixth, 29th and 45th in Skills. At the Middle School level, XNOR won third overall, and Gear Gals placed sixth overall. Low Volume placed 15th. In Skills, the Gear Gals placed eighth, XNOR 11th, and Low Volume 13th. The Sportsmanship Award was also awarded to the Gear Gals. The teams were invited to compete at the U.S. Open in Council Bluffs, Iowa. In Skills, the team placed 12th, and in Teamwork placed seventh in their division, and 13th overall. Monday, students from the two teams demonstrated what competitions look like. Each May, VEX Robotics unveils its game for the year. Fay said the team usually spends a couple of days reading the manual and learning what they can and can’t do. Scoring, he said, is complicated. The game VEX IQ Robotics Competition Full Volume is played on a 6-foot x 8-foot rectangular field configured as seen above. Two robots compete in the Teamwork Challenge as an alliance in 60 second long teamwork matches, working collaboratively to score points. Teams also compete in the Robot Skills Challenge where one robot takes the field to score as many points as possible. These matches consist of Driving Skills Matches, which will be entirely driver controlled, and Autonomous Coding Skills Matches, which will be autonomous with limited human interaction. Superintendent Chris Mills, who had said he’d watched some matches online, said he was amazed at how quickly they move about the field. The students were enthusiastic about demonstrating their skill to the Board of Education. Sam Peters, one of the students, quickly moved their robots about the field and deposited game pieces into containers. Fay said students learn more than programming skills. He said they learn about teamwork and sportsmanship. He noted that an all-girls team was awarded an Energy Award. The Energy Award is based on their behavior throughout the tournament, their positive energy and behavior. He also noted the team has started a scholarship fund, raising $500, which has been matched by a sponsor. Fay said that when they began they learned by watching, and it was tough. Now coaches come to them. He said they are thankful for the space at both schools to provide this activity to students. He also thanked parents, students and sponsors for their continued support.