A generous grant provided by an area robotics association recently provided the training materials, and now another delivery has provided a special piece of equipment to each of the five Pulaski County elementary schools to effectively put that donated equipment to use.
In June, Pulaski County Public Schools Gifted Elementary Resource Teacher Asher Vaughn was presented with a donation from the New River Robotics Association (NRRA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) group based in the New River Valley. That donation came in the form of three full EV3 kits. One of those kits is the Core Set with brick/brain, motor, sensors, and plenty of Technic pieces. The others are Expansion Kits, which include a wider variety of pieces and additional Core Set Technic pieces. The cost of each of these kits individually is $750.
Additionally, the group has provided a grant to start and fund teams at Critzer, Pulaski, and Snowville elementary schools for competition. These sponsorships are $250 each. The group has also supplied each school with a package of supplies needed to compete against other teams in the Fall, at $95 each. Grants to start teams at Dublin and Riverlawn elementary schools are nearing completion now.
The group, created by Franky Marchand, Henry Base, and their families, began in the Fall of 2012 as a group of volunteers dedicated to spreading STEM through the use of robotics and engineering, especially to students in the New River Valley and surrounding area of Virginia.
Last week, the NRRA delivered five FLL Challenge Competition tables, with one going to each school. These tables are regulation size for the competitions that the students will attend, giving them the chance to practice and rehearse on the same size tables they’ll use in those competitions, which run from August through late November.
The group supports teams in several different age groups.
FIRST Lego League (FLL) Explore teams target students ages 5-9. At this level, students learn about topics such as energy, shipping, space or buildings. They progress through individual and teamwork challenges, including building with Lego, adding a motor, and adding a sensor. The culminating project is a Lego structure that models their idea for solving a problem related to the topic. These models normally have a motor and sensor incorporated into their design, and are controlled by a program the students build on an electronic tablet.
Students at Pulaski Elementary, Snowville Elementary, and Critzer Elementary are led by Mr. Asher. Students at Riverlawn Elementary and Dublin Elementary are led by Mrs. Kari Hodge. The students currently meet during the school day, but as competitions approach, they plan to have meetings after school and on club days.
"It is very fulfilling to have the support of our school board, administrators, and county at large to allow our gifted learners to start a LEGO robotics team at each elementary school,” Vaughn said. “The hope is that this elementary program can excite and interest kids into pursuing robotics and coding into middle school, high school, and perhaps for their future careers!"
For more information on the New River Robotics Association, visit their website at https://www.newriverrobotics.org/.