Lee Today

Oasis Charter Schools' elementary robotics teams competed in the first-ever Oasis Elementary Robotics Competition on January 20. The fourth- and fifth-grade engineers went head-to-head in a fierce, yet friendly, battle of their robots. 

The students competed in three competitions. The primary competition was the VEX GO Challenge, which students had practiced over the last several months. The other two were "on-site" challenges, which students learned about when they arrived. The first was the Sphero Mini Challenge, which had students navigate a maze with a robot in the shortest time. The second was the Keva Planks Challenge, which tested the students' engineering skills. 

The results are as follows:

 VEX GO Challenge

• 1st Place - "The Unbeatable Two" - Sean Ahed & Davis Borkowski (Oasis Elementary North)
• 2nd Place - "The Jerfians" - Avery Venski & Selina Valentin (Oasis Elementary North)
• 3rd Place - "The Chipmunks" - Gabriella Margard & Lauren Sturgeon (Oasis Elementary South)

 Sphero Mini Challenge

• 1st Place - Rowynn Neumann (Oasis Elementary North)
• 2nd Place - Sean Ahed (Oasis Elementary North)
• 3rd Place - Davis Borkowski (Oasis Elementary North)

 Keva Planks Challenge

• 1st Place - "The Reading Lizards" - Bailey Hagewood & Eva Wipfler (Oasis Elementary North)
• 2nd Place - "The Magnets" - Parker Meisse & Rex Jacobs (Oasis Elementary North)
• 3rd Place - "The Mechs" - Peyton Bodnar (Oasis Elementary North)

Dr. John Omundsen, Director of Oasis STEM Innovation, conceptualized the contest to allow Oasis Elementary students to experience academic competition, even at a young age. 

Besides showcasing talent and passion, Omundsen said the competition helps elementary students learn how to convert developing critical thinking skills into resources they can use to help resolve future real-world needs.

Original source can be found here.