Spartanburg School District One competed in the Third Annual Carolina Isobots Regional Competition for the first time on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Rutherfordton.

The Carolina Isobots is a consortium of business and civic leaders, Rutherford and Polk county schools, and Spartanburg Districts One, Two and Five. This initiative seeks to introduce and sustain student involvement with science, technology, engineering  and mathematics activities and engage students in robotic programming competitions.

Four teams — representing Campobello Gramling School, Landrum Middle School and Mabry Middle School — worked through the fall to build their robots; learn programming sequences; and prepare their presentation and research. Coached by Spartanburg One teachers Aaron Pruitt and Jessica Morris, these students competed in two scrimmages between participating Spartanburg County districts before entering this large, 35- team competition.

Spending multiple hours in preparation, students met with judges to answer questions and explain their process. While the teams did not place in the recognized award categories, the positive benefits of participation had students already thinking about the next competition.

This was and will continue to be a great platform for local students to learn more about coding using many of the strategies being taught in their Gateway to Technology courses offered in Spartanburg One, district representatives said.

– Submitted by Sandra Williams