Spring ISD Hosts FIRST Robotics Competition Tournament in Partnership with ExxonMobil
When Spring ISD hosted the FIRST Tech Challenge North/Langley League Robotics Tournament on Feb. 10 at Claughton Middle School, it was an opportunity for middle school and high school robotics teams from across the area to compete for a spot at the regional meet. By the time the tournament concludes with the regional meet two weeks later, it would also mark a milestone for Spring ISD as the hosting district.
“It’s an amazing opportunity for the kids, and we’re super proud of them,” said Spring ISD Director of Strategic Innovation Dr. Eric Tingle, who has helped oversee the expansion of robotics and polytechnic offerings in the district. “The programming, the teamwork and the problem-solving that they have to go through in order to make a machine move and function and actually perform the required activities is amazing.”
Not only was hosting the tournament in Spring ISD made possible by a new ExxonMobil partnership, but the company has also given Spring ISD students a chance to participate and compete in the events by sponsoring campus teams, providing equipment, robots, parts and tools, and other resources.
“ExxonMobil was gracious enough to help us launch robotics teams at Clark Elementary School, Claughton Middle School, and Dekaney High School,” Tingle said. “The district is incredibly thankful for this partnership and how it’s expanding opportunities for students in Spring ISD.”
The FIRST Robotics Competition meets and tournaments are designed to give students a taste of the real-world experience that professional engineers get every day as they constantly refine and improve their designs, learn and grow from trials and mistakes, and work collaboratively with others to bring complex projects to completion.
“That’s what engineering is about – trial and error, fail and fix,” Claughton Robotics Coach Tyrone Dargins said. “We want them to be able to fix the problems once they fail, and move forward. Each time they go out there, they’re finding some things they can fine-tune.”
Claughton competed against a mix of both middle school and high school competitors, and took home the tournament’s 1st Place Motivate Award, which according to organizers “celebrates the team that represents the essence of the FIRST Tech Challenge competition through team building, team spirit, and displayed enthusiasm.”
Dargins said his students had learned a lot about teamwork and accountability from the experience.
“My students have done a fabulous job in digging into it,” he said, “and into understanding that they have responsibilities to complete the project. They’ve turned out for it very well.”
Although the Dekaney High School team was eliminated earlier in the day from competition, that didn’t stop Dekaney robotics team members from sticking around to see what they could learn by observing other teams. Senior Victoria Flores said that, growing up with nothing but brothers, she initially got into robotics as a way to, as she put it, “prove them wrong!” She fell in love with the hands-on aspects of designing, building and continually refining each project, along with the community of students involved.
“I love how all of the kids are brought together from so many different backgrounds,” Flores said. “There’s so many different, diverse people, but what brings us all together is the love of engineering and robotics. It’s definitely something that I enjoy and see myself doing next year in college.”
Summing up one of the day’s themes, Flores said that, even in defeat, there was always something to learn and take away from the experience.
“It didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but that’s okay,” she said. “It’s a learning experience for myself and for the future teams coming up. Hopefully they do better next year, and I’m excited to see what they do.”
Also on hand for the tournament was former science and math teacher and Spring ISD Trustee Dr. Deborah Jensen, who admired the devotion of students and coaches in preparing for the big event, and noted the benefits of introducing students to STEM activities from an early age.
“I cannot stress strongly enough how important these hands-on, developmental problem-solving programs are. This is the way human brains learn,” Jensen said during a break in the competition, during which she talked with students about their projects. “I’m just so proud of these kids, and I’m proud of our district supporting them in their endeavor.”
Source: Spring ISD
