In 2012, Trail Ridge Middle School began its robotics journey by hosting a VEX Robotics competition and fielding seven competing teams. The program focuses on competitive VEX robotics, where students design, build, and program robots for competitions. Over the years, Trail Ridge has evolved its VEX Robotics competitions into the annual Grizzly Challenge tournaments having hosted ten, and plans to host a VEX IQ tournament next fall.
The robotics program at Trail Ridge sets itself apart by integrating social-emotional learning directly into its curriculum. Tessa Anderson, Math Teacher and Robotics Coach at Trail Ridge, explained, “Our daily robotics advisory class goes beyond robot building, equipping students with valuable life skills. We teach communication, conflict resolution, and mindfulness techniques, preparing them to be effective team players and leaders.” Students have the option of working on robotics-related projects, delving deeper into coding, learning additional languages, or focusing on computer-aided design (CAD), allowing them to explore their creativity and innovation.
Seventh-grader Brody Olson highlighted the program’s emphasis on strategic thinking and problem-solving, stating, “We always look at other robots and analyze other matches. This helps with learning what we need to do in order to win that match. It helps us think wisely about our decisions and what’s best for us.”
The program offers many leadership opportunities for students. They not only lead within their team but also volunteer in the community, mentor younger students, and assist in the organization of tournaments. This provides them with a strong sense of responsibility and empowers them to make a positive impact.
Beyond building and programming robots, students have the opportunity to engage in collaborative problem-solving, teamwork, and communication. “Students learn to professionally communicate in writing through their engineering notebooks and in person through judging interviews,” said Anderson. “The design process empowers them to identify and tackle problems creatively, brainstorming, researching, planning, and testing solutions.”
This school year marked the beginning of an exciting new partnership between Trail Ridge and Altona Middle School, which has already yielded significant benefits. Together they piloted a five-week league program in the fall, providing teams with the opportunity to rapidly refine their designs through low-pressure, weekly competitions. This partnership fostered cross-school connections, facilitated shared learning experiences, and cultivated a spirit of friendly competition. Looking ahead, Trail Ridge’s robotics program aims to expand by making robotics more accessible to all students through beginner workshops and supporting feeder schools by creating mentorship opportunities with elementary and high school students.
Reflecting on her personal growth from robotics, seventh-grader Jaqueline Juarez shared, “When I first learned about robotics, I immediately wanted to try it and learn more about building the robots and understand how they work. At the beginning, I really didn’t know what to do, but once I got used to it, my team and I started to know the parts of the robot and how to build a robot without instructions. It’s been rewarding being part of robotics because I learned so many things that I never thought I would.”