From Classroom to Competition: Building Our Robotics Program

The goal of this project is to launch a high school robotics club that provides students with hands-on opportunities to develop skills in engineering, coding, problem-solving, and collaboration. Using a VEX Robotics kit, students will move beyond introductory robotics experiences to design, build, program, test, and continually improve a working robot while learning to approach challenges through the engineering design process. The robotics club will provide an accessible starting point for students interested in STEM while also laying the foundation for long-term growth. As student interest and experience develop, the goal is to expand the club into a future robotics elective and competitive VEX Robotics team. Through authentic engineering challenges, students will strengthen critical thinking, perseverance, creativity, communication, and technical skills while gaining experience with the type of collaborative problem-solving used in STEM fields.

Students participating in the robotics club will work collaboratively to design, build, code, test, and improve robots using the VEX Robotics system. Rather than following a single predetermined build, students will engage in an iterative engineering process in which they identify challenges, develop possible solutions, construct and program their designs, evaluate performance, troubleshoot problems, and make improvements based on testing. Students will take on different responsibilities based on their interests and strengths, including robot design and construction, programming, testing, strategy, and documentation. As their skills develop, students will complete increasingly complex design and coding challenges that require them to apply engineering concepts, think creatively, communicate effectively, and learn from unsuccessful attempts. The club will serve as the first step toward establishing a sustainable high school robotics program. The VEX equipment can be redesigned and reused for new challenges each year, allowing future students to build upon the program and providing the equipment necessary to pursue the eventual development of a robotics elective and competitive team.

This project will give students access to an authentic, hands-on STEM experience in which learning occurs through designing, creating, testing, and problem-solving. Students will strengthen engineering and coding skills while developing critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, and perseverance. Because robotics challenges rarely work perfectly on the first attempt, students will also learn to view failure as useful information, troubleshoot problems, and refine their ideas rather than simply search for a single correct answer. The robotics club will provide students with an opportunity to explore interests and abilities that may not otherwise be represented in their regular coursework. Students with interests in programming, engineering, mechanics, design, strategy, and leadership can contribute to a shared goal while discovering potential areas for future study and careers. Success will be demonstrated through student-designed and programmed robots, completion of engineering and coding challenges, documentation of the design and revision process, and teacher observation of students' ability to collaborate and solve increasingly complex problems. Student participation and continued interest in robotics will also help measure the project's success and guide the development of a future elective and competitive robotics team.

Grant funding will be used to purchase one VEX IQ Competition Kit (2nd Generation), approximately $730, to provide the foundational equipment needed to launch a high school robotics club. The kit will give students access to the building components, motors, sensors, electronics, controller, and programming tools needed to design, construct, code, and operate their own robots. The competition kit was intentionally selected because it allows students to move beyond introductory robotics activities and experience the complete engineering design process. Students will use the same components repeatedly to design, build, program, test, troubleshoot, and redesign robots as they encounter increasingly complex challenges. Because the components can be continually reconfigured, the kit will serve multiple groups of students and support new projects year after year. Most importantly, this purchase represents the first step in developing a sustainable robotics program at our school. The kit will allow us to establish a robotics club now while providing equipment that can support the program's growth toward a future robotics elective and competitive team. Rather than funding a single activity, this grant will provide a reusable resource that can grow alongside student interest and help establish a lasting opportunity for hands-on STEM learning.

729.00

VEX IQ Competition Kit (2nd gen)

729.00