Official Kids Mag is specifically written for kids ages 5 to 12. It contains activities and stories ranging from kid heroes, cooking, gardening, STEAM, education, fun facts and much more every month.
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By Karen Rice Official Kids Mag Greenwood School District recently hosted the VEX IQ: Battle on the Border Tournament at the H.B. Stewart Arena in Greenwood. Students from all over the state gathered for this exciting robotics tournament that enhances science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills through hands-on learning. "This was an elementary robotics tournament where the students design, build, program and drive robots to meet the annual game challenge," explained Suzanne Wilson, assistant superintendent of Greenwood Public Schools. The game challenge this year was Slap Shot, which challenged students to score discs under a fence. It was a two-part tournament – in the morning each team competed individually on driving and coding skills; and the afternoon portion of the tournament consisted of teams paired in alliance matches to complete the game challenge with two robots and four drivers in exactly one minute. The competition features a new game every year, explained Jill McMahan, robotics coach at East Pointe Elementary School. "Our students get so excited and full of energy as soon as they see the unveiling of the new game each year. Then the hundreds of hours of work begins … researching, designing, building, coding and learning to drive a robot capable of meeting the new game challenge!" The competition fosters teamwork, critical thinking, project management and communication skills to prepare students to become the next generation of innovators and problem solvers. "Robotics has been an amazing experience for my son Brooks. He has improved his skills with coding, building and driving robots. Most importantly, he has learned about responsibility, teamwork, communication and sportsmanship. It has taught him those underlying skills he needs to succeed in life. He truly admires both of his coaches and loves being a part of the team!" said Jessica Kelley, whose fourth-grade child was a participant. Mom Jeanene Wagner added, "It is a program that teaches kids to have ideas and work together to make them a reality. The kids not only work within their own team, but also work with other teams in effort to get the best score possible. They communicate and work together in a way I haven't seen in most competitions … Greenwood supports these students in ways that will benefit them and help them to be the best that they can be. Robotics is a great way to develop future leaders." The event was fun for both the participants and the spectators. There was even a DJ and dancing that added to the festive atmosphere. Katrina Myers has four children who are robotics students. "This was the first robotics event hosted by our school and Sherlett Myers and Jill McMahan did a fabulous job! This is a great program and if you ever get an opportunity to attend a robotics event, I recommend it. It brings kids with different interests, strengths and personalities together, gives them each a contributing role to fill, and then teaches them the value competition brings stem skills to life 28 • ApRIl 2023 • www.OfficialKidsMag.com