Innovative thinking, dedication and teamwork are the essential components of Thomas County Central High School’s robotics program.
Begun in the 2012-2013 school year, the program has expanded to the middle and elementary school levels as well. Its mission is to improve STEM education while providing an opportunity for students to develop their critical thinking.
“Robotics is the culmination of math and science principles with some computer programming mixed in too and is generally a very challenging but rewarding experience,” freshman participant Norman Desourdy, 14, said.
Brian Bellamy is the TCCHS robotics adviser. He developed an interest in technology while in second grade and holds a degree in industrial and systems engineering from Mercer University. There is a robotics/engineering class daily, and teams hold after school work sessions.
Freshman Melonie Smith, 15, thought Lego League was the coolest thing in middle school but was unable to participate due to it being after school. When she found out TCCHS had a during school robotics class, she immediately signed up.
“Robotics is not an easy class, in any fashion, shape or form,” she said. “It will not get you a good grade if you don't do the work. It takes a lot of work, but the skills you learn in this class – programming, writing, building, designing and brainstorming – can be applied to so many real-world jobs and careers, which makes this such a good class.”
Engineering always has interested sophomore Shylah Reynolds, 16. She likes how everyone’s opinion matters in this class and how it allows students to showcase their talents and develop or hone skills they didn’t know they possessed.
“It really helps you expand and get out of your comfort zone,” she said.
Her favorite activity this year was the water rockets.
“It gives you a chance to show your creativity and your smarts all by yourself, an independent assignment to work by yourself,” she said.
Freshman Benjamin Castillo, 15, has worked with robots in the past and felt the class would be an excellent opportunity to work with something he enjoys.
“It is a way to work with technology and create fun machines that you can control to do whatever you want,” he said.
Robotics allows students to reason critically as they take on tasks that require them to think outside the box. It may sound intimidating at first, but students can contribute in ways that best fit their talents and abilities.
The robotics teams welcome anyone to join who will actively contribute. Students can do so by website building, videography, podcasting, graphic design and even 3D printing.
“Like a sports team, the robotics team is the sum of its parts and needs every member to contribute to reaching the highest level of performance,” Bellamy said. “The ways that students can contribute to a robotics team is only limited by the imagination.”
Students are assigned to teams where they decide how they will delegate and share responsibilities. But teammates are encouraged to learn more about each other’s jobs so they can cover if someone is ever absent.
“The most important lesson I learned is teamwork because it made me realize how crucial a team is,” Jacora Tippins, 16, said. “My team taught me how to work better together.”
Junior Zach Goff, 17, joined robotics two years ago because he loves engineering.
“I like being able to work with my team as we allow our design to change and grow, and I love the rewarding feeling we get when we finally complete part of a project,” he said.
Students had a busy year. They built robots, and robotics teams competed in five league matches between October and December 2018. They finished 4th, 5th and 6th out of 10 teams: 4th CyberStingers Green, 5th CyberStingers Gold and 6th CyberStingers Blue.
Teams competed in a district tournament in January, combining three leagues. They finished 6th, 10th and 14th out of 19 teams. Cyberstingers Green won the Think Award 2nd Place and the Collins Aerospace Innovate Award 2nd Place.
And all three TCCHS teams qualified to compete in a statewide playoff tournament in February with 30 teams competing for a chance to make the state championship.
“This round marked the end of the robotics season for TCCHS, as Green and Gold narrowly missed making it to the state championship finals,” Bellamy said.
Junior Nathan Gibson, 17, most enjoys producing the robot and the competitions.
“I like more hands-on work in producing robots and coding,” he said. “And going to the competitions was just really fun. In the robotics competition seasons, students are brought to each other to work together as a team. They learn and develop skills together, such as time management, cooperation and other general engineering lessons.”
Participation in the program also teaches students how to have gracious professionalism at competitions where teams are encouraged to help the opposing competitors succeed.
“In these ways, I hope students also develop character and respect for others,” Bellamy said.
Smith’s favorite aspect of the class is going to competitions with the robots she and her classmates built.
“You get to see everyone else's robots and watch them compete against each other,” she said. “It's like watching a sport; I get such a rush from it. When you make it to a competition and watch your robot that you helped build and design compete and win a round of competition, it just makes it all worth it. The competitions are so much fun, and you learn a lot from them.”
Essential lessons participation in robotics has taught Smith are not to procrastinate and manage your time well.
“We were so focused on making our robot and programming the best it could be this year; we barely had enough time to complete our presentation for the competition, which was very stressful for all of us,” she said. “This has stuck with me because I do not want to have to go through that much stress over a presentation ever again.”
Goff likes the competition season.
“Our designs were constantly changing and improving, and it was great to see how much we were able to improve throughout the year,” he said.
An impactful lesson Goff learned this year was the importance of redesign.
“Nothing is ever finished when you work in engineering,” he said. “You may finish part of a project, but there is always more work to do, and there is always a way to improve what you have already built.”
Students encourage their peers to give engineering/robotics a try.
“Robotics is a fun way to explore your imaginative ideas,” Goff said. “If you can think of something and you can find a way to build it, then you have the opportunity. We're open to all sorts of project ideas.”
Freshman Tyren Dasher, 15, got involved after his counselor suggested he try something new. He enjoys everything about the class, from writing to building, and says it has even made him think he wants to pursue a career in engineering.
“You never know until you try it,” he said of robotics. “It may be fun to you after all.”