^The McDonald County School District held its first "Robotfest" for students in grade kindergarten through eighth on April 21 at the district's administration offices in Anderson.
"Robotfest was a opportunity for students districtwide in all grade levels to showcase their skills in designing and testing a robot," said Angie Brewer, assistant superintendent. "They were given a rubric in advance that showed them the minimum specifications that the robot would have to perform. Once they competed those here at the contest, they were allowed to try the blind challenge, which was an obstacle course ranging from driving the robot up a ramp to having it pick up an object."
The winning team for grades 5-8 went to a team from White Rock, while the winning team for grades K-4 was from Anderson Elementary School. A total of 67 contestants, the youngest being 7 years old, participated in Robotfest.
Brewer said the district is recognized as an All Access district by Project Lead the Way, the science, technology, engineering arts and math (STEAM) group for the state Education Department.
"There are only eight All Access districts in the state," Brewer said. "That means we offer STEAM in all grades K-12."
The robots are controlled by computer code that the students generate so they are also exposed to basic computer coding.
"This aligns with our science curriculum which includes standards for teaching students to think critically and solve problems as a team," Brewer said.
Students enjoy the hands-on learning of science through building and controlling a robot.
"Building it is the most fun," said James Simek, a sixth-grader from White Rock.
"I like the fact you can pick up blocks while driving the robot," said Ivan Serna, Simek's teammate.
The third member of the team, James Periman, said, "You get to spend time with your friends as part of a team."
Sports on 04/27/2017