Here is our first report about Carver students performing well in the initial FIRST Lego competition this year at Greenwich Academy. Carver fielded robotics teams from Nathan Hale, Ponus, Roton, and West Rocks Middle Schools, as well as Side by Side Charter School.
In coordination with the CAIS commitment to enhancing STEM initiatives, Greenwich Academy, along with FTC 5017 RoboEpic, hosted its eighth annual ROBOnanza! event on Saturday, May 13, 2017.
The theme was Forensics Frenzy! This CSI-themed robotics exposition was open to students of all ages (target age is lower and middle school students ages 7-12) who share an interest in robotics. At this exposition, students showcased their skills and expressed their creativity in a variety of ways. There were three levels of friendly competition, as well as a showcase opportunity where students showed off their unique robotic creations. Doug Rendell & Gail Sestito are the Co-Directors of Robotics at Greenwich Academy.
Carver’s Ponus middle school students won a first place in senior division for the "Bowling for Burglars" challenge, as well as completing all four obstacles in "Follow the Line", including "Getting out of the box" activities. Side by Side Charter School students also performed well!
Carver students also just returned from the New Haven Athletic Center this past Saturday from the annual CPEP STEM Education expo with a few awards!
The Side by Side Charter School students from the Carver program won third for battery powered car and first for roller coaster design. The Ponus middle school team won the award for most creative designs!
At ROBOanaza, the Follow the Line competition included “Chalk-Outline,” “Fingerprint,” and “Magnifying Glass” assignments. Students had to have their robots follow outside of the shape/line using a light sensor. The JailBreak! (Get out of the Box) assignment required the robot to leave the box after being randomly placed inside the box.
And back by popular demand, “Bowling for Burgers” involved the robot being the ball! The robot must travel down the lane and knock over as many burglar (pins) it can in a 5-frame game. Each robot hade two chances per frame (just like in regular bowling) to obtain the highest score. Depending on the number of participants and time, one to two rounds may occur. The robot with the highest score for 5 frames won!