Flagstaff Academy sends FIVE teams to VEX IQ Robotics Colorado State tournament in the school’s first year of participating!
Flagstaff Academy, Longmont’s premier science and technology public charter pre-K-8th grade school, has four teams participating in the VEX IQ Robotics State Tournament on Saturday, March 3, 2018 at Trail Ridge Middle School. This is the first year Flagstaff Academy is participating in VEX IQ Robotics, with a total of 22 students.
“Two 5th grade teams and three middle school teams came together and worked very hard over the past four months, meeting a few times a week to get caught up and created tournament-worthy robots,” says Terri Reh, Flagstaff Academy’s Innovations Teacher. “The mere fact that the school’s teams created working robots in such a short span of time, surprised and impressed quite a few people.” Other coaches include middle school science teacher, Boone Starr, Richard Raehal, Flagstaff Academy Network Administrator and parent, 5th grade teacher, Jack Nagle, and middle school Gateways to Technology teacher, Lori Ledbetter.
One of the school’s 5th grade teams, the “Saphiras,” won the Team Challenge and was awarded both a “Team Challenge” and an Excellence award, which is the highest award a team can win and which qualified the team to compete at state. Two of Flagstaff Academy’s middle school teams, the “Falkors” and the “Hydras,” were invited based on their high skills ranking points.
Flagstaff Academy VEX IQ Robotics teams participated in an amazing six district-wide tournaments, competing alongside 30 to 40 teams at each tournament, reflecting the strong spirit of cooperation, collaboration, and commitment to robotics. Flagstaff Academy hosted an impressive 34 team tournament in early February.
“We are fortunate to be a part of a school community that values technology from an early age,” says Katie Gustafson, Assistant Principal, Flagstaff Academy Middle School. “Not only do our kindergarteners begin learning the fundamentals of computer science, but our technology team has created a technology sequence which allows for the progression of the skills needed for our upper elementary and middle school students to excel in programs like VEX.
Since the school’s founding in 2005, Flagstaff Academy has built an exceptional educational environment which values developing the whole child through an award-winning Pre-K to 8th Grade Core Knowledge academic program. The curriculum is rich with experiential arts, hands-on science exploration, character education, and innovative technology integration. Flagstaff Academy’s vibrant campus has more than 900 students and over 100 staff members, all of whom are proud to call themselves Flagstaff Academy Dragons. www.flagstaffacademy.org