St. John’s students Bennett Carley (sixth grade), Reed Parks (seventh grade) and Jonathan Randall (seventh grade) won first place in Texas Computer Education Association’s Area 10 Robotics Competition January 12 at Bessie Colemen Middle School in Cedar Hill, advancing to the state competition.
The team competed in the Intermediate Inventions category and was tasked with developing a unique robotic invention that will solve a problem. The process included researching, planning, creating a prototype, documenting, testing and marketing. Carley, Parks and Randall designed a model of a nanobot that would travel through a patient's lung searching for small cell cancer cells and destroy them with an infrared laser.
The goal of the robotics competition is to inspire young people to become science and technology leaders. Robotics teaches science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills. It also develops critical thinking, collaboration and problem solving, along with other 21st century skills such as creativity, imagination, curiosity, innovation and self-confidence.
Technology integration specialist Gwendolyn Chestnut serves as the sponsor of the school’s Robotics Club and will accompany the students to the state competition. Chestnut says, “I was impressed with how well the team members collaborated to meet all of the project criteria. They used creativity throughout the process, dividing up the tasks based on their individual talents.”
More than 1,200 teams will compete in regional events this month, and about 190 teams will advance to the state competition in April near Houston.
About St. John’s Episcopal School
St. John’s Episcopal School is a pre-k through eighth grade co-educational school in East Dallas. Created as an outreach of St. John’s Episcopal Church in 1953, St. John’s is the oldest Episcopal school in Dallas and remains committed to the five tenets of an Episcopal education:
- Academic excellence
- Corporate worship (Episcopal/Christian chapel)
- Religious studies based on basic biblical content
- Meaningful and integrated community service and service learning projects
- An inclusive community where the dignity of every human being is respected.