SBCO meeting to feature robotics program

Plan to attend the SBCO general meeting on Monday, January 14 at 3:00 p.m. in the MountainView Ballroom. At that meeting, in addition to learning about SBCO’s upcoming events and activities, teacher Lauren Marlatt will describe the robotics classes offered at the Coronado K-8 School in Catalina. For several years Lauren has led an elective class titled “Engineering and Robotics.” The class, supported by SBCO grants, is offered to students in sixth through eighth grades and involves programming Lego NXT and VEX robots purchased from a division of Carnegie Mellon University. For the past two years, SaddleBrooke volunteer Robert Springer has taught the students how to program their robots.

In 2018, an SBCO grant funded the supplies needed for the school’s new “Elementary Robotics” program. This initiative was designed to provide students in first and second grades with robotic instruction using Dot and Dash robots. The students learned how to design solutions to challenges involving the robots.

At the General Meeting, you’ll learn how the skills and knowledge students acquire in these innovative educational programs help prepare students for a world involving technological challenges and solutions.