By Lisa Carolin
On Saturday, Dec. 12, some Beach Middle School students will be competing at the Southeastern Michigan Robotics Championship at Jefferson High School in Monroe.It is the first time Beach’s team has qualified for the state competition.
There are seven students on Beach’s Robotics team, and they are Joel Basar, Mitchell Dickinson, Zachary Dosey, Evan Eidt, Ramona Keaton, Logan Otto, and Rebecca Wurster.
The Robotics Team coaches are Gary Dosey, Beach’s school network engineer, and Duane Moss, a technology teacher in the Chelsea school district. The team was one of the top seven qualifiers.
How did the team make it to the Southeastern Championship?
“Caring, hard-working students made this team a success,” said Moss. “Our students did an excellent job in all aspects of the competition. They earned the title accomplished and exemplary in all categories of robot design as well as in the demonstration of core values, which is how the team functions as a unit. It is so great to see our students look out for each other.”
The team has been meeting twice a week for two hours after school since the second week of school. They’ve held additional practice sessions as the competition gets closer.
“You need to be a student at Beach Middle School with an interest in technology and on being on a team,” explained Moss about what is required of participants.
He says the robotics competition is just one part of the whole experience.
“Students must also research a real world problem, find a solution and then present their solution to a panel of judges,” said Moss. “Practice consists of research, game strategy, robot construction, programming and presentation practice.”
The school Robotics team was established in 2005.
“A group of enthusiastic technology-minded students along with their teacher set out to further explore the world of Legos, motors, sensors and programming,” said Moss. “The program has been possible due to grants from the Chelsea Education Foundation, Fiat Chrysler Automotive group along with support from Principal Nick Angel.”
Moss says that the purpose of the team is to get individual students to come together to problem solve, have fun and to grow as both individuals and as a team.
