Ready, Set, Robotics!

   Elementary students from around the county are excited to join this year's robotics clubs. Many schools have either started clubs or are in the final selection process. Robotics has become a booming activity in Moore County over the last three years. We are now in our third year of our elementary showcase, second a year of our middle and high school competitions, and first year of holding regional competitions. "It has been amazing to watch the growth and excitement of robotics over the past couple years", Mrs. Steingraber, a Sandhills Farm Life (SFL) 3rd grade teacher reports.

  At Sandhills Farm Life, the robotics program is well under way and the students couldn't be more excited. "We had to fill out applications, use our best handwriting, and really explain why we wanted to be in the club", says Aiden, a robotics club member.  According to Mrs. Elliott, another robotics coach at SFL, "there has been so much interest in robotics, we are doing two showcases! One showcase will take place at the school and the other will be for the county."

   The theme for this year's Moore County Elementary Showcase will be "American Cities". Students will be designing boards centered around an American city theme and will create challenges for robots to solve. The middle school competition will also be centered around the same theme; however, instead of creating boards, students will come prepared with advanced pre-written programs. We are eager to see how this year's showcase and competition unfolds, and more information will be coming soon about our regional showcase/competition. 

   Robotics has been an exciting way to interest students in the careers associated with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). As a county, we are now holding two STEM camps during the summer due to increased interest. The week long camps are filled with inventions, robotics, 3D printing, and entrepreneurs from our community. STEM careers and learning is the wave of the future and Moore County students want to be a part of it!

~Deanna Boesch