Local Students and Mid-Ohio Staff member present at OSBA
Bucyrus students showcase STEM skills at state conference
Four Bucyrus students, along with their teacher Mrs. Michelle Vance, had the unique opportunity showcase their Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills during the 2018 Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) Capital Conference Student Achievement Fair Nov. 12.
Aubrie Kimmel (4th grade), Camille Brent (4th grade), Seth Price (6th grade) and Isabella Stang (6th grade) all presented during the May 2018 Bucyrus City School District Board of Education meeting and showed off their robotics and coding skills during the OSBA conference in Columbus.
“Students are taught coding in the 3rd grade gifted class and build their knowledge and skills each year,” Vance said. “This progression has made it easier for the students to code the robots.”
In addition to individual presentations showcasing robots they built and coded, all students demonstrated the SPHERO robots and how they are used in the classroom. These are small, round robots that operate on tabletops for various projects.
“OSBA only chose 100 schools in Ohio for the achievement fair,” Bucyrus Elementary School Principal Tim Souder said. “We received a congratulatory letter from the OSBA that Bucyrus Elementary School was selected as one of the 100 schools to participate during the conference.”
As a Leader in Me school, this event offers students the opportunity to use their leadership skills to explain the special things taking place in their classroom. It also promotes pride and build self-confidence for future events in their lives.
“It is quite an honor for each student and the school to have the opportunity to showcase their hard work learning about robots and coding,” Vance said. “Our gifted program offers a strong program in robotics, computer programming and STEM (engineering) lessons.”
“I had the opportunity to watch these students present during the conference,” Bucyrus Superintendent Kevin Kimmel said. “Each of them did a fantastic job in not only showcasing their robotics and coding skills, but also in serving as a great example of the caliber of students we have in the Bucyrus City Schools.”
Please visit gifted.bucyrusschools.org/home or contact Michelle Vance at mvance@bucyrusschools.org for more information about the gifted program at Bucyrus Elementary School.