Alameda Elementary wins big at robotics competition

DOWNEY — A group of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders from Alameda Elementary School competed in the Downey Unified School District Robolympics competition and walked away with first place honors in 3rd and 4th grade divisions. .

They also won 2nd place in the 5th grade division and walked away with a score of 171, the highest score in their competition.

The annual event is sponsored by the Mary Stauffer Foundation.

Robolympics is a robotics competition where elementary students work in teams to score points in teamwork matches and Robot driving skills challenges. Teams solve an annual game challenge by designing, building, and programming a robot to compete in Robolympics. Thirteen Elementary schools across Downey Unified School District compete in the tournament. 

The competition took place at the Warren High School Gymnasium and was so well attended that there was no more room to sit down in the bleachers and many people had to wait outside. 

"I believe we are changing the culture of Robotics, you usually see this kind of love and participation from parents at high School football games,” said Sariah Strang, Teacher/Coach, Alameda Robotics. 

From the beginning of the year, Alameda Robotics students were challenged to build and program a computerized robot using Vex IQ code to complete tasks and overcome obstacles. Students were challenged to think like engineers and master the Engineering Process. 

“They have so many more years in their lives, educationally as well as personally, where they can really do so much more and really expand on the knowledge and the lessons that they learned in robotics like; teamwork, perseverance, communication, collaboration, project management, and critical thinking," said Alex Gaytan, Alameda Robotics Head Coach. 

This was the 4th Annual Downey Unified School District Robolympics Competition generously sponsored by the Mary Stauffer Foundation.