Newton County TAG students take robotics to another level

    A little “shootin’ hoops” took place at Monday’s Newton County Board of Supervisors meeting.

    A robot built by Newton County Middle School’s Talented and Gifted (TAG) Robotics Team demonstrated to the supervisors how it could shoot balls into a goal. The creation copped the team the coveted VEX Robotics Excellence Award at a recent competition in Vicksburg.

    The VEX Robotics Excellence Award is presented to the overall top team and, according to VEX officials, is the highest honor presented in the VEX Robotics Competition. The recipient exemplifies overall excellence in creating a high-quality VEX robotics program.

    Newton County Middle School TAG instructor Melisa Hill said Monday’s presentation to the supervisors demonstrates what the students are learning through robotics and beyond the regular classroom.

    “I am so proud of the teamwork, problem-solving and diligence this team of talented and gifted students has used to boost their team to this world stage of robotics competition,” Hill said. “This group of TAG students are hard working, driven to succeed, and competitive.”

    “Nothing but Net” was the theme for this year’s Robotics Game Challenge. Teams were challenged with building a robot that would shoot small balls into a high goal/net or a low goal, Hill informed the board.

    “Robots were teamed up during a competition with another robot in an alliance; this alliance competed against two other robots in an alliance,” she said. “Points were awarded for the number of low and high goals made. Points were accumulated throughout a tournament in qualifying rounds.

    “Those with the most points moved on to the next round of play. Students also were encouraged to program an ‘autonomous’ program on the computer to accumulate more points for their robot.”

    The controller is similar to an XBOX controller. Students learned programming skills to program their robot to move around the playing field and shoot balls into the nets, Hill explained.

    The Excellence Award also qualifies the team with a bid to the VEX World Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, in April. The trip will require $10,000 for accommodations and support.

    “We don’t know if you, as a board, can give us any funding,” Hill said to the Newton County supervisors, “but we know you are all supportive of our schools. This is something Newton County can be proud of, and we have been working to get grants for this program.

    The Newton County TAG Program’s Robotics teams’ funding is only through district funds, grants, and donations from the local community. From inception of The TAG Program’s Robotic Program, grants have been sought after and the results have included a $1,100 grant from the REC Foundation for one Robot in 2012.

     In 2013, the TAG Program’s Robotics Program received an $11,000 Knabusch Foundation Grant and another $17,000 Knabusch Foundation Grant in 2015. The program has grown from one robot to eight robots at the middle/high school, and six VEX IQ Robots and 15 Lego Robots at the elementary level received through the grants.

    To assist in raising funds for the trip, the students plan to auction a La-Z-Boy chair, a Yeti cooler and sell T-shirts.

    “It is going to be very expensive to take 12 students, so any help you can give us we would appreciated,” Hill said to the supervisors.

    “This team excels in many areas and is a shining example of dedication, devotion, hard work and teamwork. As a strong contender in numerous categories, this team deserves to be recognized for building a quality robotics program and a ‘team’ committed to quality in everything that they do,” she said.

    “As you can see the equipment afforded our students has led to this world bid and latest accomplishment,” Hill said. “We are looking forward to representing our supporters and community well.”

    For more details on sponsorship of this trip, please call Melisa Hill, Newton County Middle School TAG instructor, at 601-635-3347 or email mhill@newton.k12.ms.us.