Westminster Students Bring Robotics Fun to Summer Campers

Westminster Christian Academy students recently visited Miriam School and Learning Center to lead an interactive summer camp session about robots for children with learning disabilities.

“Invention and Beyond” is a camp offered by the school to teach children about the history of robots and explain their present and future value. Using LEGO products, K’Nex, recycled materials, and other building media, campers use imagination, collaboration, and critical thinking skills to bring a robot to life.

Camp instructor, Bethany Hoekzema, a 2008 graduate of Westminster, invited members of Westminster’s robotics team to lead an afternoon session of the camp.

Several team members of the Cyborg Cats, Westminster’s FIRST Robotics team, delivered a presentation about the team and the FIRST Robotics program. They showed campers videos of past FIRST competitions and explained the process of selecting a game strategy and designing a robot with the functions needed to play the game successfully.

“It was a fun experience for the Cyborg Cats to share their passion for the team and give the students a glimpse of the kinds of robotics activities they may want to pursue in the future,” said Lisa Harding, director of Westminster’s robotics program.

Campers had the opportunity to see the team’s robot up close and ask questions about the videos of the robot competing in matches. Team members also drove the robot around the classroom and used the catapult to launch game balls to the campers to catch.

Photo: Sam Dare, Jack Rahal, and Matthew Moore