KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP) - One group of Kankakee students was off in a corner working on programming while another set stood in an arena controlling a robot.
It was a typical Tuesday for the Kankakee school district robotics team, as students gathered to learn about engineering and programming for an upcoming competition.
But it wasn’t always that way. In its 15 years, the district’s robotics program has grown. It has fielded four teams the past two years, giving students more hands-on experience that translates into jobs in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and business.
“We want everyone to get the full experience,” said Brent Johnston, who has coached the team since its inception. “It’s way better than it used to be. Before, half our team stood around while the other half engaged with the robot. We didn’t want to limit the program, so we expanded to four teams.”
That has helped develop the team, which consists of about 40 high school and junior high school students. They meet every Tuesday and Thursday, as well as some Saturdays.
The program has quite a list of alumni. Several have gone into engineering jobs, and one even worked for Disney, thanks to what she learned while marketing the robotics program in high school.
The current students see that success, and they are using the program to jump-start careers in the sciences and business.
“We have the free rein to build something that gets the job done,” said Celeste Shea, a Kankakee High School junior and team captain, who wants to pursue a career in particle physics. “It’s very challenging, and that’s what makes it fun.”
With the four-team structure, the program has opened itself for expansion. Students have become more engaged by being able to directly interact with robots. They also have several sponsors who give them advice along the way.
Last month, the program hosted its first ever competition, featuring 10 teams as far away as Aurora, at Kankakee Junior High School. Exemplifying FIRST Robotics’ “gracious professionalism,” Kankakee students helped two opposing teams fix their robot, while coach Brian Fatka helped another opposing team with its programming.
“It was very nice to have that competition at home,” said Sidney Winfield, a KHS junior captain, who wants to study aerospace engineering. “We didn’t have to jump on a bus, and I think it showed how much we have grown over the years.”
The after school program has been so successful, Johnston said the high school will offer a robotics course when room becomes available. He said the course already has met all district requirements, which has made students eager.
“I think we can be more creative in robotics than school itself,” said junior Devan Wilbur, who plans on pursuing a career in either business, graphic arts or photography. “If we get a class, that’s only going to add to how well we can make robots. It’s going to make us more competitive, and it’s going to give us a solid base to work from.”
Until then, the program will continue to work on its four robots and create more career opportunities for its students.
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Source: The (Kankakee) Daily Journal, https://bit.ly/2gVMAFt
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Information from: The Daily Journal, https://www.daily-journal.com
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