By Kevin Ji, Olivia Crisafi, and Prerna Karmacharya
The Lincoln GearTicks robotics team and friends have created a new program to make robotics more accessible to METCO students.
For the past eight years, the GearTicks have organized and mentored First LEGO League (FLL) teams in Lincoln. While planning for the start of the FLL season in Lincoln, the GearTicks noticed that it was difficult for their METCO classmates to participate in the FLL program due to a lack of after-school transportation, so they decided to do something about it.
To bring their idea to life, the GearTicks met with Marika Hamilton, Lincoln’s METCO director, and the METCO Coordinating Committee (MCC). Together, they were eventually able to create a pilot program as one of the activities available during the METCO after-school program from 3–4 p.m. on Tuesdays or Thursdays, when there’s a METCO late bus.
The GearTicks also needed to find mentors willing to coach the METCO teams, and also buy new FLL kits for the kids to use. Two Lincoln School teachers and three residents including Michelle Barnes, MCC’s president, stepped up to coach, and experienced GearTicks will also mentor the students as well. The team partnered with the MCC for registration costs, and the local community also provided support with donated LEGO robot parts.
So far, the program has been a success, with the kids showing a huge amount of interest and enthusiasm in learning about LEGO robotics. Jahnlius, one of the students, said that his favorite part of the program is “the programming, where we do proof of concept.” For Jaiden, his favorite part of robotics is building and making friends. For another one of the students, Deixa, her favorite part was when she “made it work!”
The Lincoln MCC is grateful to the GearTicks and Lincoln parents Alex Appleby, Dawn Palmer, and Christine Pillar for partnering with the team and Hamilton in direct, hands-on support of the first Lincoln METCO FLL team and the exciting problem-solving, teamwork, and enrichment that comes with it.