Crescent School, home of FRC Team 610, hosted a TEDx event this summer which included this talk about our school’s “other” robotics programs.
Our grade 12 students are offered a Technological Design course where we partner with a specialized local public school for students with severe physical limitations (Sunnyview PS). Students spend the year developing, designing, building and iterating assistive toys and devices for these special needs students.
Most Crescent students who take the course are also participants in our competitive co-curricular Robotics programs, although it is not a requirement. For instance, Jordan is our FRC team’s head of PR, and you may recognize him from our 610 music videos. Jake is our FRC team’s head of strategy, and served as the team’s drive coach this past season. Mr. Stehlik is our school’s resident Robotics Engineer, he actively participates here on Chief Delphi, and is our lead FRC Design and Manufacturing mentor.
The Technological Design course allows them to take the skills they’ve learned and finely honed through competitive robotics, and use them in a real-life project that has a direct impact on the Sunnyview students. It’s not a program that many people know about, either inside or outside our school’s community (especially compared to our FRC program). But those of us who are involved are really passionate about it, and are constantly trying to raise awareness that this program exists at our school!