Ravenswood middle schoolers headed to world robotics championships – The Almanac Online

Collier established the engineering program two years ago when she joined the school. Before that, the school just had a makerspace. Now, there's a one-hour daily robotics class and the robotics club meets for two hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school.

SLIDESHOW: Tina Collier, the robotics club teacher and advisor, checks in on seventh grader Zorea Bradshaw and Elizabeth Farias, an eighth grader at East Palo Alto Charter School, during the robotics club meeting at Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School. Photo by Magali Gauthier.

Collier, who became involved in robotics in 2004, also runs Modesto Robotics and Technology, which is aimed at robotics education for kids in the community she lives in.

She enjoys seeing the robotics students have "ah-ha moments."

"They seem to challenge each other frequently to step up," she said. "They drive what (projects) they want to do."

She's also happy the students are learning skills, especially design expertise, they can use in their future professional lives, she said. In addition to metal and plastic robots, students are building chairs out of cardboard, hydraulic devices, laptop cases and other items.

"There's so much industry around that they can become part of," Collier said.

Preparing for the trip to Texas

Elizabeth Farias, an eighth grader at East Palo Alto Charter School, works on her robot during the robotics club meeting at Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School in East Palo Alto on March 22, 2022. Photo by Magali Gauthier.

Colliers bought special boxes for the metal robots, which protect them if they move around in the cargo area of the plane en route to Dallas.

Student-led teams from elementary to the university level will showcase their game strategy, design and teamwork skills at the competition, which takes place from May 3 to 12.

The competition is run by the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation. The foundation aims to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by engaging students in hands-on, affordable, and sustainable robotics engineering programs.

The school is funding the trip to the world championship this year, but they will have to start fundraising in the future, Collier said.

Grant funding

Collier said she applied for grants to make the robotics program possible at the East Palo Alto school.

Last school year, she won a $50,000 state implementation grant that funded equipment like a 3D printer, commercial printer and other robotics equipment.

She also secured a $144,000 grant to build engineering career pathways from the elementary to community college levels in the area. She and her students will introduce district elementary schoolers to robotics.

"The younger they get started in design thinking, the more it helps them in school and life in general," she said. "They learn to problem solve."

For more on the upcoming competition, go here.

Other local schools competing in the championship in the Ravenswood school's division, include Sandpiper Elementary School in Redwood City, according to the VEX Robotics website.

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Ravenswood middle schoolers headed to world robotics championships - The Almanac Online