Foley Middle and High Schools introducing kids to the world of robotics

By Jessica Vaughn
Posted 9/23/19

FOLEY - What kid doesn’t dream of building their own robot? How about taking that robot and competing with it during a competition against rival teams with robots of their own? That dream is a …

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Foley Middle and High Schools introducing kids to the world of robotics

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FOLEY - What kid doesn’t dream of building their own robot? How about taking that robot and competing with it during a competition against rival teams with robots of their own? That dream is a reality for students at Foley schools, as they offer high-tech Robotics classes to their students. Thomas Thorjusen, who began the Robotics Program at FMS and now teaches at FHS, is excited where the program has come from and where it’s going.

“I started teaching engineering classes under Project Lead the Way, and then a robotics type class,” Thorjusen said. “We were introduced to competitive robotics and since we had the equipment at the school we kind of delved into it and got into VEX Robotics, which is probably the largest robotics competition out there.”

The competition is divided into Plastic for the Elementary and Middle School levels and Metal for the High School level, with both divisions doing roughly the same thing with different structural pieces. After working with the South Baldwin Chamber Foundation on obtaining grants, there are now robotics programs in every school in the Foley feeder pattern, and more area teams for the VEX Robotics Competition.

There are nearly 60 students involved in robotics at Foley High School with approximately 20 of those students on active competition teams, as well as 60 robotics students in Foley Middle School. Last season, Foley High School teams competed in five state qualifier events, three in Montgomery, and earned five slots in the Alabama State VEX VRC Championship earlier this year in April. All five teams attended the state qualifier, ranking middle of the pack. Also competing at the state level, Foley Elementary School earned two slots, Foley Middle School earned two slots, and Summerdale School earned one slot.

VEX Robotics releases a playing field with rules and objectives each year, and then it’s up to individual teams to design a robot to compete on the field that is able to accomplish all the objectives. Competitions are held worldwide, and the more competitions won the higher possibility of a team making it to the World Championship. This is where Thorjusen says our area needs improvement. In order to correct this, he’s leading the way to schedule tournaments in our area, as well as signing teams up for approaching tournaments like one on Oct. 19 hosted by Gulf Shores schools. Currently, there are approximately five competitions scheduled in Baldwin and Mobile counties that will take place between October and February. Approximately 20 Baldwin County teachers/robotics coaches are preparing over 40 teams for competitions.

“The whole goal of this program is to expose kids to all kinds of math and sciences, STEM lessons, but in a competitive gaming situation where they can work in teams, do long-term projects, and try to develop excellence over time,” Thorjusen said. “This is honestly like any other sport, just a different methodology. You capture a lot of kids that might not be interested in sports or band, and this gives them an interest, a focus, and a direction.”

The game field for this year’s VEX Robotics Tournament was announced at the end of last season, and the kids in Foley Middle and High Schools are hard at work in preparation for the upcoming battles. The students at Foley High dove into the design phases at the beginning of the school year, studying the playing field and objectives before getting to work designing a robot fit to win. This year’s challenge is height, as the game requires numerous cubes to be stacked. To make matters difficult, the robot must begin at a height below what it will take to win the game, meaning it has to have a way to expand once the whistle blows.

“Kids who get exposed to this have a lot of opportunities out there, not just in robotics, but in control systems as well,” said Thorjusen. “There was a student once who wasn’t as great with robotics as others, but he excelled in the programming side. Once he graduated, he went on to begin learning about IT, and he was so excited for the future. This gives students teamwork skills, organizational skills, skills in researching, and time management. You’ve got to manage your time to get done before a competition, you’ve got to work together to understand what you’re trying to accomplish and how you want to do that, then you’ve got to research, formulate a strategy, and then build that strategy in detail. Then you build a prototype and test it out, and then figure out any corrections and adjustments you need to make.”

Thorjusen hopes to partner with VEX to host more competitions in our area and give local teams more chances to compete in tournaments and progress first to the state level, and then the World Championship. The program has grown steadily since it’s inception, with the high chance of further growth.

To learn more about Foley Middle and High Schools, check out their respective websites at www.bcbe.org/foleyms and www.bcbe.org/foley.