STEM Club taking off at Gehlen Catholic | News

LEMARS—Gehlen Catholic School’s sixth-grade robotics program, known as STEM Club, is just starting to turn its gears but students are excited to explore the possibilities.

There are 15 students involved in the new robotics program that started about four weeks ago.

Science teacher Nathan Sexe proposed using remaining funds from several grants used on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) supplies to give students another extracurricular opportunity.

“We had a bunch of engineering kits for the science class and some money left over,” Sexe said. “We purchased a Hummingbird robotics kits. It’s very versatile. Students can do unlimited projects with the materials.”

Hummingbird kits are designed and distributed by Birdbrain Technologies of Pittsburgh. The kit allows students to combine programmable motors and sensors with arts and crafts projects to create moving displays and robots with almost limitless possibilities.

“We’re making a jitter bug. It’s basically a little monster, animal thing,” said sixth-grader Emerson Schmidt. “It’s supposed to dance and you’re supposed to put your hand over a sensor and the lights will turn on or off.”

“The goal is just to offer students another extracurricular so they can start to gain experience with new technology and coding,” Sexe said. “We’re just getting started with the introductory robot so they can learn to use the equipment. Then we are going to use it to make a robot petting zoo that will respond to motion, sound, light or distance.”

Later this spring the group will build a robot mini golf course with automated obstacles such as windmills.

“He kind of showed us what we were going to be doing and it was more of an environment that we’d be hands on learning,” said sixth-grader Desirae Dreckman, STEM Club member. “When you’re building it, you get to create it and you can do whatever you want with your robot and see how it works.”

Although the program is in its early stages, Sexe has been pleased with the students’ responses.

“Seeing their faces light up when they get something to work — it’s really rewarding,” he said. “Everyone is very supportive. I shared what we’re doing at a staff meeting and people are really excited about it. I may look at expanding it in the future but for right now we’re just getting started.”