Darnaby’s most robust club, Ranger Robotics develops early engineering and coding skills as students are tasked with designing, building, and programming robots. Rangers then compete in the VEX IQ challenge where students showcase their robots in a Team Challenge as an alliance. They are also scored in Robot Skills challenges testing both their driver skills and an autonomous challenge. In the five seasons of Ranger Robotics, we have grown from a single team of 6 students to 4 teams serving 27 students. Our Ranger Robotics teams have received an invitation to and competed in the State competition for the past two years.  

Darnaby offered its very first virtual summer camp this year to help engage students through these difficult times of Covid-19. This free to participate in virtual summer camp engaged our upcoming fourth and fifth-grade students in multiple areas of our robotics program. From understanding the basic principle of engineering, focusing on problem-solving skills with an exploration of puzzles, and introducing them to Robot C through virtual playgrounds and different challenges, students built a strong base to help them further advance their participation in the Ranger Robotics program. 

Here is an example of a student's work from our Summer Virtual Academy. The students were tasked with the challenge to code their virtual robots a dance party and set it to music.

Our second tier of Ranger Robotics would be focused on our second and third graders. Giving these students their first opportunity to start building with VEX pieces, the Vex GO system introduces a simplified version of what students build within the competitive program. The color-coded system provides the perfect introduction to pieces and paired with the online labs offered, our littleBOTS students will be constructing robots in no time. Afterward, our younger students can power and code these robots, giving them a dynamic understanding of STEM and preparing them for upcoming years on a competitive robotics team.  

Covering the cost of new equipment for 20 kids, this proposed budget would allow a teacher to sponsor littleBOTS club and introduce robotics two years earlier than previously offered.