GREENVILLE, TEX.--For the first time since the Greenville Independent School District established a robotics team in 1992, GISD will hold two summer camps. Both camps are student led and designed by the Greenville High School Robowranglers. The idea for the camps originated with the Camp Directors, Adrienne Emerson, Johnny Tharp, Orion Casper and James Hardaway, while attending workshops or working at camps last summer.

 

The Beginners camp was held June 23^rd through the 27^th at the Greenville Middle School VEX Lab with 40 students attending. Fifth and Sixth Grade students this fall were introduced to the VEX IQ Robotics Platform which is designed and manufactured by Innovation First International in Greenville. Campers spent the week building a robot, then modifying its design to play a game. A competition was held on Friday for the students to test their ideas.

 

The Robowranglers took complete ownership of this first time robotics summer camp, with the Directors present for supervision. Before camp started, they worked to learn the VEX IQ platform and created the curriculum. The students will be teaching, guiding, and inspiring the young campers. Adrienne Emerson, Robowrangler Coach, says “It is my belief that more inspiration and learning takes place when the high school students work with younger students rather than teachers. This camp is the first time many of these campers have gone through the design process and can get a look at what it is like to work on a project this hands-on and in depth.”

 

The camp works to engrain principles that the students can use in robotics and also in engineering. “I believe this camp is creating a better robotics program for the district as a whole. Not only are students being introduced to robotics at a younger age, but the older students are getting a chance to participate in higher-order thinking and teaching what they know, rather than just applying it. From an education stand point, mastery of a skill comes not when you can do it yourself, but when you can teach it to someone else” Emerson said. She continued by saying she is “excited about this camp, and can't wait to make it bigger and better next year.”

 

Robowranglers volunteering at the Beginners Camp are Alyssa Ruprecht, Nick Ruprecht, Anna Morgan, William Powell, Kritika Gautam, Coleman Avants, Zack Cody, Madison Kroncke, Austin Sanders, Kayla Evans, Breanna Evans, Kolton Evans and Jake Adel.

 

There is also a Competition Camp for Middle and High School VEX Competition students that will be held July 28^th - August 8^th. Forty students will be attending. This camp will use the VEX Platform, designed and manufactured by Innovation First International.

 

Campers will start to analyze the new VEX game “Skyrise.”  This game requires a robot to score 8” colored Cubes in Floor Goals, on Posts of different heights or on a Skyrise, by Owning Posts, and by Building your Skyrise Sections.  The robot that plays Skyrise can only be 18” tall at the start of the match and needs to score colored cubes on posts ranging from 23” to 47 “above the floor and also on Skyrise Sections that can range from 4” to 5’ above the floor.

 

Once the game analysis is complete, students will start to build robots that will be entered into tournaments in the Dallas and Houston Area starting this October. All area tournaments can then qualify these robots to be entered into State and National Tournaments.

 

Johnny Tharp, District Robotics Facilitator and Instructor (Grades 1-8), says “I am proud to see the GMS and GHS robotics and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs grow over the past three years to this point where we are offering many opportunities for students to participate in technology education. These camps are only the start. The district, this year, is adding computer programming classes at both the Sixth Grade Center and Middle School.  GISD is also adding Introduction to Engineering and Advanced Non-Competition Robotics Classes at the Middle School. I look forward to seeing what these students can accomplish this year and in the years to come.”

 

For more information, please contact the Tournament Directors:

 

Johnny Tharp, District Robotics Facilitator & Instructor (Grades 1-8) at tharpjr@greenvilleisd.com

Adrienne Emerson, Director of Robotics Grades 9-12 at emersona@greenvilleisd.com

Orion Casper, GMS Robotics Coach at caspero@greenvilleisd.com

James Hardaway, SGC Robotics Coach at hardawayj@greenvilleisd.com