Ruby Bridges Elementary Sweeps Local Robotics Competition

The Ruby Bridges robotics teams show off their trophies from the third annual Alameda Robotics competition, which was held on May 11, 2019 at Wood Middle School. The Robotics competition is a partnership of the Alameda Robotics Center under the director of Wood Middle School teacher Nga Nguyen, Wood Middle School, and the Alameda Education Foundation (AEF).

The Robotics program puts essential STEM principles into hands-on action. Students learn about scientific method, collaboration, and teamwork. Over several weeks, school teams worked with mentors to design, build, and program robots using Lego Mindstorms technology, then competed on a themed playing field, in this case space. The program is currently for students in 4th – 8th grades. This year’s program included 120 students representing 19 teams from nine Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) schools.

The competition itself consisted of two rounds. Each round had a series of challenges with a total potential score of 35 points per round. Challenges were scored on a scale of 1 – 5 according to the level of success.

The Robotics program is largely student driven. The program’s senior mentor and competition coordinator was Molly Clem, a junior at Alameda Science & Technology Institute (an AUSD school). Wood Middle School students served as competition challenge judges, runners, and assistants. One 12 year old served as the mentor for a 5th grade team. Students also produced the 3-D trophies and designed the T-shirts. “Lego robotics provides a place for true collaboration for our learners,” said Nguyen.

Ruby Bridges Elementary School swept the competition with their three teams placing 1st (Lighting Botts), 2nd (Meteors), and 3rd (Space Alphas).

The Robotics program is made possible by a partnership between AEF and Alameda Municipal Power (AMP) called “Power Up for Learning” where AMP customers designate a small amount to be added to their monthly power bill, which is collected by AMP and presented to AEF each summer to support technology education. AMP customers may sign up for Power Up For Learning at www.AlamedaEducation.org. AEF would also like to thank the other major sponsors of this program, including The Graber Family, Rick Tabor DDS, The Glass Man & Sons, and the Greater Alameda Business Association.