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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Lego Leader: Patrick Sarmiento (center) a senior at Bellarmine College Preparatory and captain of its robotics team, is the mentor of Willow Glen Elementary School's new robotics team, the Cyber Tigers, made up of fourth- and fifth-grade students.
Robotics team starts at WG Elementary
By Amy Jenkins
For the first time, students in the Gifted and Talented Education Program at Willow Glen Elementary School have the opportunity to participate on a robotics team.
The team--made up of nine students in grades four and five--is one of many across the nation taking advantage of a partnership between the LEGO company and a nonprofit organization called FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology).
Since last month, the school's robotics team--named "Cyber Tigers" after their school mascot--has been learning to program, build and maneuver a robot in preparation for a First Lego League competition in December, where they will compete against 60 other schools in the San Jose Unified School District for a chance to visit Legoland near San Diego.
The First Lego League encourages children ages 9 through 14 to celebrate science and technology, using real-world context and hands-on experimentation.
The Willow Glen Elementary team is making a robot using Lego's Mindstorms Invention Technology System kit, which includes sensors and motors team members attach to a central base in order to make the robot move. Then the children program a computer with a set of commands and tasks that are sent to the robot's brain, called RCX, via infrared sensors on the computer and robot. These commands guide the robot around obstacles on a blue-and-white mat.
"We are experimenting by building a lot of different robots, to see which idea works best," says fourth-grader Ivy Adams. "We were finally successful with one that has two big wheels and two little wheels, but we might improve it before competition."
This year's FLL competition is called "Arctic Impact," because it challenges the teams to create a robot that can "save" a Lego scientist stranded on an iceberg. According to the team's mentor and senior at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, Patrick Sarmiento, the goal is to gain as many points as possible by programming the robot to push levers to raise a flag and release items like balloons from its grips. The team has two minutes to earn points and earns the most points by reaching the iceberg where the scientist sits.
"Legos make robotics accessible to grammar and middle schools," Sarmiento explains. He adds that because of corporate sponsors, championship high school teams like his own are able to make robots out of aluminum and steel. Although high school students can earn community service hours by mentoring, Sarmiento says, "Mentoring this little league team is something I want to do. I have been bitten by the teaching bug."
Founded in 1989 by inventor and entrepreneur Dean Karmen, FIRST organizes an annual design competition that brings professionals and young people together in teams to solve an engineering design problem in an intense and competitive way.
Learning about robots provides education not available through regular classroom curriculum. Adams says what she likes most about robotics is learning how to use computers and understanding teamwork.
"If we don't work together, nothing comes out right," she says.
Fellow teammate and student body president Burree Cowherd agrees.
"We all do it together and have to figure out how to make the robot work," she says.
According to an advisor for GATE, Marylea Adams, the district funds certain programs like the robotics team for students involved in GATE. Approximately 50 students at Willow Glen Elementary School scored in the 98th percentile or above in an IQ test, allowing them access to GATE and the programs offered during and after school.
"The robotics team is an exceptional chance for Burree to get a chance to look at technology," says Burree's father, Dean Cowherd.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
