by April Scheinoha
Editor
It was show and tell time for Challenger Elementary School robotics participants at the Thief River Falls School Board meeting Monday, March 24. They were accompanied by Robert Fay, coach for the CES and Franklin Middle School robotics teams. Currently, the district boasts four CES robotics teams and two FMS robotics teams.
All six teams qualified for their respective state tournaments, which were held in March in St. Cloud. Five of the teams received awards at state, including XNOR, Middle School Think Award; Gear Fish, Teamwork Tournament, third place; Bots United, Judges Award; TechnoTrons, Elementary Think Award; and Ninja Bots, Build Award. XNOR is an FMS team while the others are CES teams. NitroShock is the sixth Thief River Falls School District team that competed at the VEX IQ Robotics State Championships. The St. Bernard’s Catholic School robotics team also qualified for and competed at state. More information about the awards is located in an article elsewhere in this newspaper. (Lincoln High School also offers robotics, but that program is through FIRST Robotics.)
Fay noted there were nine robotics camps offered in fall 2024 with 127 district second, third, fourth and fifth graders in attendance. The camps were offered free of charge. Thirty-seven students from CES and FMS registered to participate in robotics this school year.
The six teams attended seven tournaments over the course of their season. Six of those tournaments featured judged awards with Thief River Falls School District teams receiving awards at each one. District teams received a total of six Excellence Awards, the highest award presented at the VEX IQ Challenge, at five of the tournaments. The Excellence Award is presented to a team that exemplifies overall excellence in creating a high quality VEX Robotics program. To be chosen for such an award, the team is a strong contender in numerous award categories and must have an engineering notebook.
At the School Board meeting, the students demonstrated how to pick up balls with their robots and move the balls to goals. Fay noted there wasn’t much room for error, and teams had to choose whether they were trying to place the balls in particular goals closer to the ground or goals farther from the ground.
Besides bringing their robots to the School Board meeting, the students also brought along their binders documenting that they had built the robots and the process that led them to these particular robots.
Each year, VEX Robotics provides a different game for the students. They build their robots accordingly in an attempt to accomplish feats dictated by VEX Robotics. Fay expected a new game would be released at the end of May or in early June. The district robotics teams receive support from the Thief River Falls Education Foundation and sponsors.
John Syvertson, School Board treasurer, is the father of robotics participant Jude Syvertson. He noted how robotics is a great learning experience that helps students build many skills.
Kristine Wheat, a district first grade teacher whose son Wyatt is a robotics participant, said the district should feature robotics in its marketing for new students. She said the Goodridge School District doesn’t have a robotics team and Marshall County Central Schools haven’t brought home the robotics awards that the Thief River Falls teams have.
Wheat further noted Fay’s contributions to the elementary and middle school teams. She said he volunteers many hours, including on weekends.
School Board Chairperson Ryan Walseth voiced his appreciation for Fay’s work with the CES and FMS robotics teams, saying it doesn’t go unnoticed.
The kids’ efforts also haven’t gone unnoticed. Michelle Westerman, a School Board director, told the robotics participants that they should be proud of themselves and keep up the good work.