Entering the Robotics Field

As students entered the sunny Johnson Family Digital Media Lab in the All School Commons, they quietly put down their bags, took off their shoes, and entered the game field. A 12-by-12-foot maker space with a padded floor and low walls, the game field is where the Upper School Robotics Club builds and tests their robots in preparation to compete in local contests that can lead up to national and global contents. In their second club meeting of the year, the group quickly became absorbed in their tasks, closely following the rendering they designed, with some students assembling the metal pieces that will make up the robot course, and others organizing the new parts and tools that came in over the summer. 

“We're fortunate that we have space to build out a full field so that we can do some really authentic testing when we come up with our robots,” said Jillian Ma, computer science faculty and advisor for the US Robotics Clubs at GFS.

Creating a Robot

Over the next few months, the students will crystalize the vision for the robots they will enter in the annual VEX Robotics Competition. This year’s challenge, called Push Back, pits two teams in a race to get the most blocks into four goals, while simultaneously blocking their challenger from doing the same. Different kinds of strategic moves, such as holding the most blocks in the center goal or fitting both robots in the parking zone, earn bonus points.

All robots start with a robot brain (below), in this case a palm-sized electronic component that will execute the program the students design via a controller. GFS’ Robotics Club has two robot brains, which allows them to break into smaller subteams so they can test different designs simultaneously. Additionally, they can build a test robot to practice head-to-head matches with the competition robot, to try out different scoring strategies, how to drive defensively, and how to handle the robot when there is the added chaos of multiple robots on the field.

Problem-Solvers

Ma and John Henderson, Computer Science and Digital Media Department Head and Director of IT, report that through the robotics club, students learn from each other and by trying things out. They also build the practical and teamwork skills needed in robotics, and learn to manage the healthy stress they experience in both problem-solving and competing against other schools. 

“There are so many different things to do, from figuring out how to use a screwdriver to thinking through advanced designs and programming techniques,” said Ma. 

Club members range from beginners to experts—and all are welcome. 

Esme Baxter ’27 joined the club last year with her friend Katherine Paulis ’27 and found it to be a lot of fun. 

“I really like the problem-solving type classes and clubs, and I’ve always been really into engineering,” Baxter said.

Paulis said, “I enjoy putting things together and I think the great thing about this robotics team is you’re working with other people. You get to compete in the competitions, problem-solve, and build different things.”

The experience is not without aggravation, especially when they can’t figure out why the robot is not turning or stopping, for example, and have been trouble-shooting for a while. 

“I think the frustration is definitely worth it after we figure it out,” said Baxter. “It wouldn’t be the same—or as rewarding—if frustration wasn’t part of it.” 

Upper School Robotics Club member Chloe Rudderow ’26 has been interested in robotics since elementary school. She’s excited by the rapid advancements in robot physics and mechanics and says there’s a lot to look forward to every day. 

“There's something really special about designing, prototyping, and coding something on your own, and seeing things fail and succeed,” she said.

As Rudderow looks ahead to possibly studying physics in college, she also sees how her robotics work has advanced agility in that subject, citing an overlap between the mechanical aspects of robotics and physics theory. Getting to experiment in this setting has shifted her perspective and led to a firmer understanding of building things, which has helped with other school projects.  

Middle School Missions

Two and a half minutes to complete as many missions, or tasks, as possible: this is the challenge for the Middle School Robotics Club’s competition that’s set for February. The club meets every day after school and on a recent Friday, its two teams got to work on the attachments for their robots. With LEGO robots, attachments are pieces added to the robotic base that are powered by either gravity or a motor to perform an action such as lifting or grabbing. 

“We're figuring out everything. We're figuring out how the code works. We're building attachments, strategizing on how we could use these attachments,” said Jayden Rudderow ’31 who shared that his team is staying on task and cooperating well. 

Middle School is the perfect time to explore robotics as it fuels their studies of science and technology, preparing them for advanced study in Upper School. It also inspires creativity and confidence. 

“Middle School students are still open to play, and they’re still open to anything as a possibility, so they’re willing to try anything,” said Heather McKelvey, Middle School Art Teacher and co-advisor of the MS Robotics Club with Aisha Bryant ’00, Associate Director of IT.  

That willingness to try and fail or succeed breeds confidence. Students start to sense how to approach challenges—by asking questions, being persistent, and most importantly, working as a team. 

To Bryant, teamwork is the hardest part. 

“Exposing them to the challenges of teamwork at this stage of their development is really critical because it strengthens those later years in school when they are choosing to continue with robotics or other aspects of programming or engineering, all of which require intense collaboration,” she said.

Robotics for Every Age

In Early Childhood, teacher Bianca Desamour leads students in a robotics project in the spring as part of their engineering unit, bringing together all the students have learned so far about the design process. Each student creates a prototype of a robot that is meant to solve a problem, either in their personal life or beyond. Then, they make a model using salvaged materials.

“We had a student who designed a chef robot that would make dinner so they could spend more time with their dads,” Desamour said. “Another student was tired of seeing adults pick up trash, and designed robots called City Help Bots to clean up public spaces.” 

Desamour explains that studying robotics encourages pre-schoolers to explore, ask questions, seek meaningful information, and use their vocabulary to describe things. It also engages students with multiple modalities simultaneously (reading, art, building), which helps hone their understanding of their world around them. 

In Lower School, GFS Computer Science and Digital Media Teacher Laura Jamieson emphasizes foundational skills with students, primarily coding, to build their understanding of how computers work and what they can do. Each year, they progressively add to their coding acumen. Students who later want to pursue robotics are then able to apply their programming abilities to direct the robots to act. 

*** 

“Robotics brings a facet of STEM* learning that’s very much hands-on, giving our students the experience of seeing something move that they're coding and manipulating,” said Henderson. “It’s a great way to visualize what you can do with code, as well as try on different roles and figure out your ideal position in a team situation, for example, team leader, coach/mentor, or robot assembler.” 

The Johnson family recognized the need at GFS for spaces that would promote design and exploration in the digital world, while also fostering community. We are grateful for their support and vision on behalf of all the young people who will benefit.

*GFS is ranked #1 in STEM in both Philadelphia and Pennsylvania by Niche.