Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Final competition of Chula Vista robotics league

A game slightly reminiscent of basketball

The Vex Robotics League of Chula Vista held its final competition for the year at Sweetwater High School on January 18. While many praise robotics programs for their connection to the new educational buzz word STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) — the catchword for parents, coaches, and students was: team work.

The majority of the league teams are from the Sweetwater school district. Middle school or high school students who make the team receive a kit then work together through a semester to assemble a small robot capable of moving a beach ball down a small court — a game slightly reminiscent of basketball.

Haley Salazar

Haley Salazar, a science teacher at Otay Ranch High School, organized the league. She said that in the past, when she was taking her students to Los Angeles, San Jose, even Nebraska for tournaments, she noticed that a lot of other schools in the district only came to her local tournament because they didn’t have the money or the parental support to go anywhere else.

Sponsored
Sponsored

So, Salazar decided to start a league. She said the league was able to get grant money for the schools on the west side of Chula Vista because they do not have the same resources as the east side.

Salazar said, “I called all these teachers [who were or would become coaches] together in my little chemistry room at Otay Ranch — 'This is what I’m thinking of doing, but only if you’ll be able to host an event.’”

Robotics coach Joshua Hill, a biology teacher at Mar Vista, said that in addition to teamwork, the students learn critical thinking and how to code a computer.

David, a student from the Mar Vista team said one lesson he’s learned is “The importance of little screws.”

Two female teammates from Rancho del Rey, Gabrielle and Noel, said everyone on the team is an engineer, and though they all divided the labor, everyone helped with the design. They said their bot was named “Vic,” for “Victory.”

The best endorsement for the robotics league came from Brenda and Andrew, whose son is on the Otay Ranch team.

Brenda said that their son, Gabriel, was only a freshman when he made the team. She said, “He’s always been a little different; academically he’s very high but he’s been dealing with a little bit of bullying because of his maturity.

“Our son has played soccer since he was six and he understands teamwork, but in the sports world there’s a lot of kids that feel they need to outshine the next person. He’s never been that kid; he’s always been the kind of kid that wants to help everybody along and make sure everybody makes it.

“The first time we went to a tournament last year, I almost cried because I saw my son laughing and talking to kids that were older than him. They accepted him for who he was. [Salazar} showed them how to be a team, how to have camaraderie.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

WAV College Church reminds kids that time is short

College is a formational time for decisions about belief

The Vex Robotics League of Chula Vista held its final competition for the year at Sweetwater High School on January 18. While many praise robotics programs for their connection to the new educational buzz word STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) — the catchword for parents, coaches, and students was: team work.

The majority of the league teams are from the Sweetwater school district. Middle school or high school students who make the team receive a kit then work together through a semester to assemble a small robot capable of moving a beach ball down a small court — a game slightly reminiscent of basketball.

Haley Salazar

Haley Salazar, a science teacher at Otay Ranch High School, organized the league. She said that in the past, when she was taking her students to Los Angeles, San Jose, even Nebraska for tournaments, she noticed that a lot of other schools in the district only came to her local tournament because they didn’t have the money or the parental support to go anywhere else.

Sponsored
Sponsored

So, Salazar decided to start a league. She said the league was able to get grant money for the schools on the west side of Chula Vista because they do not have the same resources as the east side.

Salazar said, “I called all these teachers [who were or would become coaches] together in my little chemistry room at Otay Ranch — 'This is what I’m thinking of doing, but only if you’ll be able to host an event.’”

Robotics coach Joshua Hill, a biology teacher at Mar Vista, said that in addition to teamwork, the students learn critical thinking and how to code a computer.

David, a student from the Mar Vista team said one lesson he’s learned is “The importance of little screws.”

Two female teammates from Rancho del Rey, Gabrielle and Noel, said everyone on the team is an engineer, and though they all divided the labor, everyone helped with the design. They said their bot was named “Vic,” for “Victory.”

The best endorsement for the robotics league came from Brenda and Andrew, whose son is on the Otay Ranch team.

Brenda said that their son, Gabriel, was only a freshman when he made the team. She said, “He’s always been a little different; academically he’s very high but he’s been dealing with a little bit of bullying because of his maturity.

“Our son has played soccer since he was six and he understands teamwork, but in the sports world there’s a lot of kids that feel they need to outshine the next person. He’s never been that kid; he’s always been the kind of kid that wants to help everybody along and make sure everybody makes it.

“The first time we went to a tournament last year, I almost cried because I saw my son laughing and talking to kids that were older than him. They accepted him for who he was. [Salazar} showed them how to be a team, how to have camaraderie.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Domestic disturbance at the home of Mayor Gloria and partner

Home Sweet Homeless?
Next Article

Gonzo Report: Three nights of Mission Bayfest bring bliss

“This is a top-notch production.”
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader