Northridge Elementary School is celebrating the conclusion of a successful robotics season, where students demonstrated their creativity, teamwork, and technical skills. The school’s competitive robotics club is composed of two teams, each consisting of four students from third to fifth grades. Over the five-month season, the teams dedicated themselves to designing, programming, and testing their robots for a variety of challenges and competitions.
More than 20 students participated in the VEX IQ recreational club, which provided them with an opportunity to explore robotics concepts in a non-competitive environment. Northridge also offers an Engineering Club for first and second graders, focusing on hands-on exploration with Indi Robots, Beebots, Sphero, and VEX 123 kits. This club serves as a stepping stone for young students in the robotics and STEM fields.
This year, the competitive robotics club competed in tournaments at Mead Elementary and Indian Peaks Elementary. Students participated in two types of VEX IQ Full Volume challenges, which involved programming their robots to move around a field, grabbing, tossing, and strategically placing game pieces into scoring zones to earn the most points.
During the Teamwork Challenge, students were paired with a team from another school, and they worked together to score the most points in 60 seconds. The Skills Challenge is divided into two types of matches: driving and programming. The driving skills match required two drivers to get as many points as possible by choosing to knock down blocks, lift and put blocks into the different goals, or empty the supply zone. In the programming match, pre-programmed robots had to perform specific tasks on the field without direct control from the drivers. Judges also conducted interviews with students to learn about their robot-building processes.
“The Indian Peaks competition had a superhero theme, and Northridge won ‘best dressed,’” shared Third Grade Teacher Nina Miller. “Our students were so excited to participate and took driving their robots in front of hundreds of people seriously. Parents and grandparents were proud to cheer on their Bengals.”
The robotics club meets weekly for an hour and 15 minutes, and is coached by a community volunteer. Students learn skills such as following step-by-step diagrams, documenting their progress as a team, as well as how to interview and demonstrate their skills in front of judges and spectators. Fifth-grader Jacob Nunez‘s favorite thing about robotics is parking the robots and building them. “I learned about coding and how to make the robot move with the controller. It was so much fun working with my friends because teamwork makes the dream work.”
Miller believes robotics encourages students to imagine themselves working in STEM and technology fields. “I also think having a female computer engineer volunteer as their coach has conveyed the message to the girls on the teams that those fields are open to them.”
For many students, this was their first experience with robotics. “One mother shared with me that her child said he loved robotics so much that he had to go to bed early on Sunday nights so that he would be prepared for VEX IQ on Monday afternoons,” shared Miller. “My favorite thing about the Robotics Club is the teamwork,” said fourth-grader Alya Murrary. “I’ve enjoyed working with my classmates and appreciate that I had a voice and was heard during club. I also learned how to be a better engineer and teammate too.”
According to Miller, students in the robotics club were very determined, enthusiastic, and worked well together. “I couldn’t be prouder of how much they grew individually and as a team this year. I hope they will continue to participate in robotics in middle and high school.”