St. Mary's School of Los Gatos Launches Robotics Club

Members of the St. Mary’s School Robotics Club started their journey into the world of engineering at the beginning of August this summer.

Students enthusiastically began a two-week programming boot camp, learning fundamentals of software engineering. Paul Coe, IT and Robotics teacher, gave an engaging history of the multiple software languages used today, then jumped right in to the core elements of C language.

The second week included in-depth programming in preparation for the start of robot building this fall.

The St. Mary’s School Robotics Club was introduced to stimulate learning through hands-on experience with programming software, develop an understanding of mechanical engineering concepts, and reduce the intimidation surrounding programming.

The club uses the VEX IQ curriculum, which was developed by the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation. The curriculum incorporates highly engaging hands-on learning through machines and robots to stimulate learning and encourage creative problem-solving.

The inaugural club is comprised of girls and boys in grades 6 – 8 who meet once or twice a week and plan on participating in two to three competitions this year.

Photo and information courtesy of St. Mary’s School Los Gatos - Several Robotics Club members, along with instructors Paul Coe and Erin Delgado, during their summer bootcamp that took place for two weeks in August.