A few of the approximately 120 members of the Texas Middle School robotics club proudly display their FIRST LEGO League robots.
Additional Texarkana ISD articles:
Like peanut butter and jelly, STEM and
robotics are a perfect match; they just belong
together. Robotics courses, clubs, and teams
are natural by-products in schools where
STEM is implemented.
STEM academies are firmly entrenched
and growing within the Texarkana (Texas)
Independent School District. Middle and high
school students are flocking to the academies
in large numbers. Consequently, robotics
teams are more popular than ever.
About 120 students at Texas Middle
School are members of the robotics club,
according to Coordinator Shannon Kirkland.
The Texas High School T-BOTS club has 28
members, more than double its membership
of two years ago when the group was formed.
On the following page are guest
columns from one of the T-BOTS’ coaches
and the team’s CEO. And here are some
comments from members of the robotics
teams at the two schools.
Texas Middle School
Austin: (wants to be an engineer): “I just
like engineering and building and stuff. I think
it’s pretty fun. Mom bought me an NXT Set (from
LEGO® Education) for my birthday, and we’ve got
two extra kits at home.”
Emily: “I’m definitely going to take what
I learned this year, programming and all, and
use it a lot next year. . . . I’ve made a lot of new
friends, and I’ve learned different things from
them. It’s fun to hang out together!”
Texas High School
Caleb: (goal is to pursue a mechanical
engineering degree at the University of Illinois):
“Engineering to me is solving problems to the best
you can, really. That’s all it is.”
Logan: (wants to study engineering at
Carnegie Mellon University): “Engineering to me is
a way of life because everyone does it every day.
We have to learn. We have to build. We have to
problem solve. Eventually, it can make a difference,
not just in yourself or your community, but even
the country as well.”
Clay: (wants to pursue a career in
environmental or electrical engineering):
“Engineering to me is my life. I’ve grown up
building things constantly. I break stuff and
then have to fix them. It’s a learning process –
reverse engineering.”
Krista: (plans to major in archeology at
either Texas Tech or the University of Missouri):
“Engineering to me is a way to express yourself.
You get to try something new and just see things
differently through people’s perspectives.”
Jonathan: (aims to major in chemical
engineering at the University of Arizona):
“Engineering to me is a way to the future. It’s
taking the conventional ‘this is how you do it,’
throwing it out the window, and showing ‘this is
how you should do it.’”