High school robotics team launches at Lexington Technology Center

Lexington County School District One’s robotics competition team flipped the switch to the “on” position and is ready for launch.

Lexington District One will house the new club at Lexington Technology Center, the home for career and technical education. Open to all of the district’s high schoolers, the robotics team is part of VEX Robotics Competition, one of the fastest-growing competitions for middle and high schoolers in the world.

The idea for a high school team came from the students themselves. After participating at the middle school level, several asked for the chance to continue learning, experimenting and competing when they moved to high school.

So far, more than 50 students have expressed interest in joining the team, said Rosemary Bianchi, CTE program manager at Lexington Technology Center.

“We anticipate having at least four teams representing Lexington One. There will be opportunities to compete against each other, against teams in the Midlands and against other teams across the state,” Bianchi added.

Teams can also qualify to compete on the national stage if they and their robots perform well.

“The goal of the robotics team is to provide an avenue for students interested in areas of STEM to not only apply skills they learn in the classroom, but also to learn new skills as well,” Bianchi said.

While they’re designing and building robots to test in the arena, students will also be cultivating career-readiness skills essential for life after high school.

“(Robotics Team) also provides a team experience for students, which teaches students many soft skills such as networking, problem-solving, mediation and work ethic,” Bianchi said.

Lexington Technology Center will host an informational meeting for interested students and parents on August 30, 2016 from 4 to 5 p.m.