Good News About Polk County Public Schools

Lakeland’s Crystal Lake Middle, Haines City’s Daniel Jenkins Academy and Lakeland’s Rochelle School Of The Arts are three middle schools with advanced robotics programs and instruction that competed in high-level robotics events in the 2009-2010 school year.

 

Most Polk middle schools have some form of robotics instruction and programs. In robotics, middle school students design, build and program robots. In one of the competitions, called the Florida LEGO League, students build robots using LEGO bricks, motors, gears and software.  In the LEGO League competition, students build and program robots to solve problems.  For example, in one of the LEGO League events, students programmed robots to understand and create solutions for climate sustainability. Student-created robots simulated the burying of carbon dioxide, testing levees or insulating a house.

 

The premise behind the robotics competitions and robotics-related instruction is to inspire and motivate middle school students about science. In robotics, students use science, engineering, technology, math and writing skills in hands-on projects.

 

Crystal Lake Middle and Daniel Jenkins Academy both qualified and participated in a regional LEGO League event in 2009-2010.  Rochelle School Of The Arts won a Judges’ Award in a state LEGO League event last year. Rochelle School Of The Arts science and technology teacher Michael Schweim is Rochelle’s robotics advisor and was named LEGO League Mentor Of The Year  award at the 2010 state event.

 

In addition, Daniel Jenkins won a first place award in a state “Botball” event and was runner-up in a state “RoboFest” event. 

    

Students from the three schools contributing to winning the various awards are listed below. Each school’s 2009-2010 robotics advisor is listed in parentheses.

 

Crystal Lake Middle (Mark Schuh): Rhiannon Cusolito, Cecil Dannemiller, Adrian Gray, David Nieves, B.J. Phouikham, Isaac Rosa, Samuel Van Duyn;

 

Daniel Jenkins Academy (Doug Evangelisto): Wesley Bengoa,  Devan Black-Daughtery, Cory Dowd, Mark Gonza, Carlene Madsen, Andrew Renuart, Damian Reyna, A’Darius Whitaker, Ethan Venable, Oswaldo Zapata.

 

Rochelle School Of The Arts (Michael Schweim): Delaney Browning, Jacob Cottrell, Christian Golden, Adam Lauretta, Christian Stowers.