Parsons High School began its robotics program in 2003 and now Parsons Middle School has a new Robotics Club to offer younger students a similar opportunity.

Middle school industrial arts teacher Kenneth Rhuems has stepped up to the challenge of helping the students enter into the realm of building robots for competition.

Im learning, because this is new for me, he said. I enjoy it quite a bit and they are every serious. They are pretty focused on what they are doing.

Discussions had taken place the last few years on the possibility of beginning some type of robotics program at the middle school level, so as students enter high school, they have determined their level of interest and have been given some basic understanding of robotics should they want to participate in high school.

When Rhuems began teaching the program this year, he expressed his willingness to PHS robotics teacher Bruce Rea to work with the younger students, but wasnt sure if it would be feasible to obtain the needed equipment.

Come to find out, there were some kits that the school actually had. I had no clue. I found out last semester we could probably do that and then I found we had couple of kits. One of the students got some of his things done ahead of time, so he started building one and got the enthusiasm going, Rhuems said. And then we found we had some more kits at another building.

Then I wrote a grant and got two kits the Parsons Education Foundation bought for us, that were actually going to use in the contest. Weve got three that are different than what we are doing here today. They are the next level. Those will be our contest robots, he said.

Second semester, beginning in January during Friday Fun Time, students had the chance to join the Robotics Club if interested. About 10 students signed up.

Pairs of students were working at separate stations building their first level robots.

I think its really cool because hes my friend and we get to workas a team together, sixth grade student Brayden Myers said.

I think its cool because theres not a lot of things we can do in our grade andthis is one of the things we can do, Marion Ryan said. Like you cant do sports for the school or anything in our grade, but you can do robotics.

And in sixth grade you cant do any wood workingin here and today they did like race cars, I think, Brayden said. But we get to do this.

It will probably be another couple of weeks before they get to start work on their robots for the competition. With spring break and Easter recess the students are going to be down to the wire.

I may have to have them come back to school for a few nights to work on them, Rhuems said. They have the same screws, bolts, nuts, so as they become familiar with them at this level it will be easier, and theyll know the motors and other components and what they do, so it will go faster.

The students act as though they wouldnt mind putting in the additional time one bit.

Its fun. Its fun building them, Andy Winslow-Kephart said. My favorite part is the team work because you are helping and working together.

You learn all about teamwork, Ryan added.

The evening of April 5 parents will be invited to come watch a preview of the robots in action.

Well have like a little contest within our own class, Rhuems said.

April 24 the students will be headed to their first competition at Emporia State University, what they all said they are looking forward to the most.

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Middle-schoolers start robotics club - Parsons Sun