Camelot Academy Students take second place honors at regional Math, Science and Engineering Competition Transitional school students build and program robot
(Philadelphia – January 28, 2013)
A team of three students from Camelot Academy’s Robotics Club took second place in the Core Values presentation at the regional qualifier round at the First Lego League, a nationwide middle-school science, math, and engineering competition.
The “Robohawks,” eighth graders Destin Casanova and Michael Wilson Drew and seventh grader Mohammed Sissoko, designed and programmed a robot using materials supplied by a grant obtained from the University of Pennsylvania.
“Robohawks are the wave of the future. We encourage our students to take advantage of their creativity,” said Camelot VP for Alternative Education Milton Alexander.
The students spent the day completing various challenges such as Robot Design, Robot Game, and Core Values Presentation. Out of 23 teams from eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, the Robohawks had their best score in the Core Values competition.
“Winning that honor is especially significant for Camelot because core values are something we put great weight into and feel these students are building excellent foundations for future success,” said their principal, Phil Beauchamp.
In addition to this honor, the team achieved high marks in the Robot Design Challenge, which judged the quality of their programming and construction of their robot. They also scored among the top tier of competitors in the Robot Game.
According to the school’s executive director, Maurice Kelley, the students met weekly starting in October and spent their Thursday afternoons learning how to construct their robot, arrange and calibrate motors, and write programs for the robot to perform during their challenges.
The students’ faculty adviser, middle school science teacher Matthew Phillips, supervised the project and sounded like a proud coach after the strong finish. “Although the season is over, Camelot Academy and its students look forward to building on this momentum next season,” Phillips said.
The event was hosted at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute and was sponsored by the First Lego League and the University of Pennsylvania.
