Students invent, race and battle in annual Sonoma County robotics competition

What does one do with more than 500 fourth through eighth graders from 22 schools, all gathered in one building on a rainy Saturday morning?

The 20th anniversary Sonoma County Robotics Challenge had them enter the robots they’d made ― toy-sized, but more sophisticated than toys ― in a series of battles, races and other contests in the gymnasium at Santa Rosa’s Elsie Allen High School.

Capturing the spirit of the event in two short sentences, emcee Chad Hunt, a longtime teacher in the Roseland school district, opened with, “We’re not worried about win or lose. It’s the energy.”

There was no shortage of energy. Packed with kids, parents, teachers, organizers and judges, the building almost seemed to vibrate with excitement.

“This is more kids than we’ve ever had,” said Rick Phelan, the event’s director.

Events included the “Sumo” competition, in which robots with names like “The Terminator” try to push each other out of a circle in a series of elimination rounds. And there was “King of the Hill,” with robots vying to occupy a raised space only big enough for one. For “Bull in a China Shop,” a single robot attempts to knock 10 different items out of a circular ring.

The students apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills to designing and programming the autonomous robots.

“The kids really are solving problems on their own,” said Jenny Lynch, principal of Austin Creek Elementary School in Santa Rosa. “They come to me to fix things and I don’t. We want them to learn how.”

The process encourages experimentation and teamwork, she added.

For some students, the competition is a natural continuation of what they have learned so far.

“I do programming at home with my dad, so thought I should do this,” said Jonathan Smith, 10, a fifth grader at Austin Creek.

For others, the teamwork was also social.

“I wanted to be with my friends, and it seemed like fun,” said Emery Poole, 9, a fourth grader at Kenwood Elmentary School.

Her classmate, fourth grader Nora Cerretani, 10, added, “I thought it’d be a cool experience because I like building stuff.”

The students came to the competition already organized into teams with playful names like The Awesome Gummy Bears, the Duckateers and the Smash Brothers.

The competition took place in a cordoned-off area in the center of the gym, with spectators standing outside or sitting on bleachers. Kids darted everywhere through the crowd.

Hunt, the master of ceremonies, emphasized participation over the outcome of the competition, as he worked the competition area with microphone in hand.

“It’s all about perseverance, not giving up,” he said.

The event grew 20 years ago out of a partnership between the Sonoma County Economic Development Board, the North Bay Business Council and the Sonoma County Office of Education.

Casey Shea, a curriculum coordinator with the Sonoma County Office of Education, who had the duty this year of supervising some noncompetitive robotic activities outside the gymnasium, offered his own succinct summation of the program’s value.

“What I love about robotics,” he said, “is that it gives kids real-life experience and encourages them to be creative and even fail sometimes, as part of the learning process.”

At the end of the day, there were awards, including the Golden Propeller Head, a traveling trophy given to the team that best represents the spirit of the games by demonstrating excellence in teamwork, mechanical design, programming and performance.

This year, the award went to the Petaluma Accelerated Charter School. The trophy will be kept at the school until next year’s competition, when it is handed off to the new winning team.

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5243. On Twitter @danarts.