With a growing emphasis on STEM education, students with special needs in Grant County will have a running start with the introduction of the nation's first elementary-level unified robotics league. | Stock Photo
With a growing emphasis on STEM education, students with special needs in Grant County will have a running start with the introduction of the nation's first elementary-level unified robotics league. | Stock Photo
With a growing emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education, students with special needs in Grant County will have a running start with the introduction of the nation's first elementary-level unified robotics league.
The unified robotics league from the Special Olympics is a pioneering effort to bring the benefits of robotics to youth with special needs. Teams consist of three students with disabilities and three partners. The first meetings in Grant County's elementary schools were held during the last week of September, the Chronicle-Tribune reported.
The six-week unified robotics season will culminate in a competition at Northview Elementary School on November 7.
The unified robotics program was initially launched at a Washington state high school in 2015, but Grant County takes the lead at the elementary level. The county was chosen due to the existing robotics infrastructure, with every elementary school already having a robotics team.
“We are hoping this kind of league will take hold and provide opportunities for many students in the future to have these kinds of inclusive opportunities,” Lisa Graham, executive director of the Grant County Special Education Cooperative, told the Chronicle-Tribune.
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