08-03-2025
Robotics fever strikes Decatur Middle School
Mar. 8—From a front-row bleacher at Decatur Middle School, coach Todd McDonald yelled, "Grand slam!"
The coach of the Walter Jackson Elementary School robotics team was ecstatic. One of his robotics teams had just nailed its performance at the Decatur Robotics Competition held at the school Friday morning.
These young robotics enthusiasts take seriously what they do. As serious as any player on a sports team. But instead of great footwork they do great brainwork.
The competition works like this: Every team builds a small robot, about the size of a cellphone only much fatter. They have to program each robot to complete an obstacle course on the gym floor without missing a turn or running into a pylon. Each robot has sensors built in so they can take in information about the landscape and know what to do. For each task they complete, like driving and then turning on a dime at a certain pylon, they get points from the judge. The exciting part is trying to make sure the robot does its part.
"It's very intense watching the competition," McDonald said. "When the kids nail something they have been working hard on, it's like winning a million dollars."
The students have to measure the space the robot is working in so they can program it to stop and to turn at just the right place.
"With technology there are a lot of factors they have to deal with," McDonald said. "Even lighting in the gym can affect the sensors."
Ava Hunter, 10, of Decatur, likes her role in the robotics competition. As a member of one of the Walter Jackson Elementary teams, she has her own assigned task.
"I draw the plan and they — Eli and John — put the code in," she said. "We practiced with the old robot from last year. You must take measurements and come back and code the measurements into the robot"
Eli Monahan, 11, of Decatur, from the same Walter Jackson team, finds the robotics competition challenging.
"I like that you don't know what kind of challenge you will get," he said.
The name of their robot is Trash Compactor.
The kids in the gym were engrossed in their work. Three boys were all each wearing T-shirts that read: "Eat, sleep, robotics, repeat."
The robotics kids are not left to their own devices during the competition. They have tried it that way at past competitions and it doesn't work so well, said Beth Hellebrand, robotics instructor and organizer of the event. In past years, the teams would have a break at which time they were able to talk to their coaches, but this was not the solution.
"We wanted to take the adult factor out of the equation because adults would start telling them how to code or do the coding for them," Hellebrand said. "We wanted the kids to work together and problem-solve. But we didn't want them sitting there stuck either. It is supposed to be fun."
So they implemented a help desk this year. They are a quartet of older student brainiacs who are basically problem solvers. If a team gets stuck and can't move forward, they bring their robot, their laptop computers, their minds and their frustration to the help desk. The quartet gets them moving forward again.
The robots they use are made of Legos or Vex.
"They can use anything they want as long as long as it is 12 inches by 12 inches maximum and it fits in the square," Hellebrand said. The square is the competition space on the gym floor.
There was a special guest at the competition — George Youngblood — a former Decatur High robotics student who is there to help the kids. There would have been more like him but many of the veterans were taking their Advanced Placement exams Friday, Hellebrand said. Youngblood was helping team after team at the event.
Like all of the kids meandering about the gym, Hellebrand loves robotics.
"This is the best job in the world," she said. "I get to see them through the math, science and engineering process. To be able to work with kids and solve problems is just the best job in the world."
She hopes to hold this competition every spring and invite even more schools from other districts. This year there were 13 schools and 28 teams.
Juan Ortiz, 11, of Decatur, said he enjoys the challenge of problem solving.
"I felt great when I got 40 points," he said, referring to the points he garnered after the robot stopped, turned and returned correctly.
Karlos McGraw, 11, of Decatur, said he likes to see how far they can go with the robot.
"I like the competition and there are a lot of friends I know here."
He said it takes three days to build the robot.
Zaqueo Larios, 10, of Decatur, likes everything about robotics.
"I like learning new things. I like having to go places. I like Decatur Middle School and I like competing in the games."
Winners of the elementary division were Walter Jackson, first; Leon Sheffield Ro Bros, second; and Leon Sheffield Race Bots, third.
Winners of the middle school division were Decatur Middle, first; Austin Junior High, second; and Austin Middle School, third.
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