Schools gear up for robotics competition
Published 10:23 pm Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Kenneth Grimes, a junior at Selma High School, operates his team’s robot ahead of competition Thursday at Wallace Community College Selma.
Teams from 10 local schools will compete Thursday in the Selma Best Robotics Game Day at Wallace Community College Selma.
One of those teams, Selma High School, is hoping to finally break through and make it to Auburn for the chance to compete in the southwest regionals.
Alek Poe, a sophomore at Morgan Academy, works on his team’s robot.
“I enjoy the engineering part — making the robot,” said Selma High School junior Kenneth Grimes. “It takes critical thinking; it takes patience; and it takes trial and error.”
Grimes said he likes participating in robotics because it gives him and his teammates the opportunity to work together, solve problems and come up with their own solutions.
“We can interact hands-on with it. We can actually put our ideas into this,” Grimes said. “We’re not dictated by rules, but we do have restrictions. Within those restrictions, we let our imagination flow. It’s letting you think outside the box.”
Grimes’ robotics advisor, Darrel Davis, said although he works with the power tools, he likes to step back and watch students solve problems and come up with ideas on their own.
“I sit back and watch and listen to them. If I have to, I put my two cents in, but I let them do everything by themselves,” Davis said. “Teamwork is the big thing. Everybody has different ideas.
Davis said his favorite thing about working with the students is watching them create and seeing their work come to life — or at least motion.
“It’s coming up with an idea from scratch and actually making it work,” Davis said. “I just enjoy seeing them thinking through stuff.”
Judy Bonds, the robotics instructor at Morgan Academy, said her team has been working hard to make it back to the Auburn regionals for the third straight year.
“We’ve been working very hard, long hours,” Bonds said. “We’ve had to brainstorm and try to design components that will do the different types of jobs that we need [the robot] to do.”
Lydia Hendrieth, a ninth grader at Morgan, said this is her first year competing.
“It’s really fun, and it’s interesting doing all of the things and learning about the robot and looking at them building the course,” Hanfrieth said. “I’ve met a lot of new people here in robotics, and we do work well together.”
Competing alongside Selma and Morgan are Dallas County High School, Tipton Middle School, Southside High School, Keith Middle and High School, Martin Middle School, Meadowview Christian Academy, J.E. Terry Elementary and Brantley Elementary.
Each team will be judged on a marketing presentation, exhibit booths, an engineering notebook, the actual robot competition and team spirit.
The competition will take place at the Wallace gymnasium from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
