Students showcase robot creations

Students at Crown of Life Lutheran School in Colleyville jumped back as a robotic scorpion named Strike-o shot little bricks at the children sitting criss-crossed on the gym floor.

The ankle-high beast made of Lego bricks flung bricks with the flick of its tail and scattered away on six legs.

This whole routine was programmed by students in one week.

“It’s not as easy as it looks,” said Jillian Gillam, one of the students who programmed the robot.

Fifth- through eighth-grade students at Crown of Life capped off Science Week, just before holiday break, by showcasing their robotic inventions.

The classmates broke into groups to build and program Lego Mindstorms robots. Students built sets that were designed to maneuver across various terrain, some mimiced elephants by moving and elevating a trunk, some robots sorted colored blocks.

The school has hosted Science Week for eight years, each year focuses on a certain project such as robotics, aircraft or fuel cell cars. Principal Larry Darlage said the themes were chosen to help the students.

“That’s the way the economy is headed,” Darlage said. “It’s amazing how these students are able to pick up on the programming.”

School officials saids students spend the mornings of Science Week focusing on their projects.

“Normally, they are checked out the week before break, but they aren’t with this,” school board President Gail Chmiel said. “They don’t realize how much they’re learning.”

This story was originally published January 6, 2015 at 10:35 AM with the headline "Students showcase robot creations."