Prior to programming the robot, Oakview Elementary School students pick through pieces to build their machines on Wednesday morning at the school's morning robotics class.
An Oakview Elementary School student looks on as he tests his robot's programming during the school's morning robotics class on Wednesday in Centralia.
Centralia School District Superintendent Mark Davalos looks on as Oakview sixth-graders work on programming during the school's morning robotics class on in February 2017.
Nikoe King, with the 21st Century Learning Program, helps an Oakview sixth grader with his programming efforts during the school's morning robotics class on Wednesday in Centralia.
For some students, arriving at school early might not be a reason to get excited, but for fifth grade student Alan Cox, it’s the opposite.
Cox is one of more than 20 early risers enthusiastic about building robots and furthering their science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills through a new opportunity at Oakview Elementary School, where students not only build robots from kits, but also program them to do various tasks.
He said he loves coming to school early because he is now excited about robotics.
“I really like it,” he said, adding that he plans to further be involved in robotics at the middle and high school levels.
On Wednesday morning, students were focused on programming their robots’ light sensors so they would stop once they reached a black line on the tile.
Cox said his favorite part is designing the robots, a process he likened to working with Legos.
“I like that it’s Legos because I have a lot of experience with Legos,” he said about constructing his robot.
The program is one Superintendent Mark Davalos was happy to get started at Oakview Elementary. A similar opportunity has been available for the students at Washington Elementary, and Davalos said spreading out the resources helps ensure students of both schools are getting the same experiences.
He also hopes it will later feed students into the middle and high school robotics programs. Davalos said Centralia High School will be looking to expand into FIRST Robotics, a program that encourages students to pursue education and careers in STEM fields while building their knowledge, life skills and self confidence.
The program at Oakview not only gets kids more familiar with STEM concepts and allows them to experience robotics, Davalos said, but it helps build workplace and teamwork skills, and gives the students a sense of accomplishment.
“You can see they are thinking, talking and learning together,” he said, citing the benefits of project based learning. “We’re trying to get STEM embedded into the day.”
The district is working to expand STEM in all of its grade levels from kindergarten through high school.
The technology used in the before school program is tried and proven in many districts across the country, Davalos said. What makes it unique is the experience it provides for kids in the Centralia area.
“We don’t want our kids to fall behind. We want them to be experiencing what kids all across Washington and the country are, and if anything it’s unique that we finally brought it here,” he said. “We need to continue to do that so our kids can keep pace and be moving along with everyone else with all the modern learning opportunities and thinking that this basically will help them develop.”
For Davalos, it proves the students are just as capable as anyone else to dive into the realms of robotics and technology, showing the sky's the limit.
Nikoe King, with the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, said the learning opportunity is not funded by a grant like the one at Washington Elementary. Instead it is funded by the district.
The 21st Century program “supports the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools,” according to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s website.
Similar robotics programs typically start with older grades, King said, so the unique part is that the Oakview one targets younger kids and exposes them to the technology earlier in life. She also said a good amount of girls are involved, something that is important in diversifying STEM jobs.
The hands-on opportunity targets students who may not play sports, but have other skills, King said.
The program at Oakview began at the end of November and currently has 22 kids enrolled. It runs for about 30 minutes before school starts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Oakview Principal Heidi Jenkins said it took a lot of planning and support from the district to get the program going. With the success so far, there are plans to extend it to other grade levels.
It has gotten some kids so excited that it has improved their attendance in other classes, she said.
“It’s one of the highlights of this year,” Jenkins said.
