Issaquah robotics team wins Chairman’s Award
Published 1:25 pm Friday, April 4, 2014
As the members of the Issaquah High School Robotics Society (IRS) accepted the FIRST Robotics competition Chairman’s Award at the district competition held in March, it represented a win for thousands of district students. In six years, robotics group turned the activity from a high school club program to one that has generated a wave of interest and demand for robotics among students in younger grades.
Today every middle school in the Issaquah School District has a robotics club and robotics units are taught at all the elementary science-technology magnet programs. This was accomplished in part through the society’s “Taking FIRST to the Streets Campaign,” launched in 2011. FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,” a national program with state affiliates, including FIRST Washington that offers robotics competitions at the local, state and national levels.
The campaign was not without its challenges.
“We found a local opportunity to begin promoting FIRST at the monthly Issaquah Art Walks held during summer just up the street from Issaquah High School,” Issaquah High computer science teacher and coach, Brett Wortzman recalled. “By stretching the community perception of ‘art’ to robotics, we landed a site inside a chiropractic office on Front Street.”
Unfortunately, Wortzman added, only waves of rain peeked through the foggy windows at the group’s robot.
“We waited a full hour without visitors. Finally, as the sky began to clear, one of our members took our mini-bot onto the dimly lit sidewalk allowing it to run up the nearest pole.”
That action caught the attention of some passers-by, who came inside for the full robot presentation. Interest spread and soon a cluster of curious onlookers crowded into the office.
The team later found itself giving presentations to numerous middle schools and even community organizations such as Kiwanis and Rotary. It soon caught the attention of the Issaquah Schools Foundation by reaching out for funding and demonstrating the benefits to students who participated in their programs. The foundation is a major partner with the school district in supporting STEM and robotics throughout the district.
The interest in robotics has had other benefits, too.
“Our increased numbers of student enrollments in engineering and computer science are a direct result of the successes of this organization and the students it serves,” said Dennis Wright, the district’s Director of Career and Counseling services. “Their efforts and enthusiasm for STEM thinking has reached elementary, middle and high school students.”
A three minute video produced by the students can be found at http://youtu.be/yEXTqwAiyh0. For more information about the Issaquah Robotics Society, contact Wortzman at wortzmanb@issaquah.wednet.edu.
