Ronan robotics team builds teamwork

BY MICHELLE LOVATO

Lake County Leader

Ronan Middle School robotics students might not even realize they are learning real-world engineering skills while building their Lego-based robotic creations.

But after all the fun of creation and experimentation is done, each student will have learned more about science, technology, engineering and mathematics than they knew when they began. And, they will have something new and interesting to share with the rest of the world.

A group of 11 robotics team students in seventh and eighth grade will travel to Bozeman this weekend to participate in the First Lego League’s national competition. Three students will represent seventh grade, and eight students will represent eighth grade, Ronan Middle School technology teacher Brian Youngren said. 

So far 60 teams are registered for the meet and are coming from as far away as Eureka, Glasgow, Billings, Missoula and Wyoming.

Working as a unified team throughout the fall and winter school year, students create a competition robot on a pre-selected theme. This year’s theme is autism.

Students in the seventh and eighth grade teams have relatives living with autism, so creating a robot that would interact with autistic kids was a naturally good idea.

During the creation and building process, students brought their relatives into the classroom to test their robot’s effectiveness working with autistic people, he said.

The coach’s job is to mentor, but not to give student’s answers.

“I am the mentor and I can’t help them. They are supposed to do it on their own,” Youngren said. “That might be the hardest part. When they ask me questions I can steer them in the right direction and see where they go. But I don’t touch the robot. I’m kind of like their referee.”

Youngren said his students learn problem-solving skills. And students taught Youngren plenty during the last five years that he’s coached the team.

“This is the first year I haven’t had an all-girls team,” he said. “Through that, I’ve learned how to be a part of a girls team and how that dynamic works; how they get along, how they have a conversation. I’ve learned a lot of team-building skills.”

In addition to producing a socially relevant robot, such as those centered around autism, team members also have to raise enough money to pay for their trip to Bozeman. 

Youngren said his students do a variety of fundraisers throughout the year to raise about $300 each. 

Once the teams get to Bozeman, they will compete against other teams who also invented new ways to handle problems.

Youngren works as Ronan Middle School technology teacher and operates the campus technology lab, something students can use during the school day in addition to their robotics efforts.

Youngren said he is excited about what the future holds for his students.

“Last year while we were riding back home on the bus, parents were texting me telling me we were on the 10 o-clock news,” he said.