Rutherford County Faculties

#RCSSchoolSpotlight

By GRAYSON LEE MAXWELL

Rutherford County Faculties

Stewarts Creek Center College has no scarcity of after-school golf equipment.

The cafeteria turns into an archery vary when the bell rings. Artwork membership, images, e book membership and choir all have a house amongst Stewarts Creek’s choices for college students.

However center and highschool college students at Stewarts Creek are gaining actual world abilities in engineering, mechanical design, programming, graphic design and building. That is all due to the Stewarts Creek Robotics Crew.

Kevin Welch, the coach for the group, is keen about STEM.

“Initially, it’s simply enjoyable,” Welch mentioned. “I get pleasure from mechanical engineering challenges. I like robotics as a result of it expresses coding. I like seeing machines come to life, and I really like working with college students. My driving motive for doing robotics with college students is as a result of on the finish of the day I don’t suppose there’s anything that would change the course of their life fairly the identical as realizing what they will do in a STEM discipline.”

Robotics could be the coronary heart of this system, however Stewarts Creek college students additionally take part in group outreach by way of STEM occasions. They garner curiosity in robotics by serving to different youth in Murfreesboro and surrounding communities work together with know-how.

“They arrange on the Discovery Middle and let children come and function robots and study our group,” Welch mentioned, for instance. “However additionally they train the group in regards to the discipline of STEM and the alternatives it presents. They use this platform [the team] to succeed in out and expose different college students to robotics. We additionally do group service like cleansing up the creeks, and associate with the city of Smyrna and a number of the elementary colleges.”

The group sponsors the group, and the group sponsors the group. Though Stewarts Creek Robotics is a competitor — additionally they recruit different Rutherford colleges to compete and problem themselves within the robotics competitions, together with rivals Rocks Springs, Rocky Fork, Christiana and Blackman center colleges.

The group gives a chance for college students at Stewarts Creek Center and Excessive to do greater than construct robots. There are numerous positions which require completely different skillsets to make the group the success it’s. College students are wanted within the areas of computer-aided design, coding, manufacturing, group outreach, graphic design, advertising, group exhibit and presentation.

Ethan Morrow has been a robotics group member for 2 years. The mentorship has been one of the rewarding issues about being part of the award-winning group, he defined.

“There’s all the time somebody with loads of expertise who’s there to coach you and information you. They’re those that may show you how to. Then in flip you’re answerable for serving to others. You wish to be sure that everybody will get a style of robotics. That’s the place the world is shifting,” mentioned Morrow.

Victoria Welch, who has been on the group for six years, is a veteran and chief. She at the moment works on the engineering pocket book for the group and leads graphic design.

“Persistence, teamwork and management are crucial classes I’ve discovered,” Victoria mentioned. “Persistence as a result of I’m a frontrunner. Once you’re main a group, folks which are inexperienced, you might want to have endurance in instructing them. Management — you discover ways to be constructive but variety. Teamwork — we’re one massive group. We now have smaller sub groups nevertheless it’s necessary all of us work collectively on the finish of the day.”

There isn’t any scarcity of deserves for the members of the group.

College students lately competed within the Music Metropolis BEST Robotics competitors, a contest for college students to design and construct a robotic in simply eight weeks. However the work continues.

At the moment, the group holds 10 first place awards from final season, two from the South’s BEST competitors and eight from the Music Metropolis BEST competitors.

After successful the general BEST award within the Nashville competitors final weekend, the Stewarts Creek robotics group will advance to the South’s BEST competitors held at Auburn College in December.

“One in all our greatest values is our dedication to work ethic,” Welch mentioned. “We consider that expertise will get you up to now, potential will get you up to now … however each one in every of our college students right here is sharp. The factor that makes Stewarts Creek college students a drive to be reckoned with is figure ethic. Once you win accolades and awards, it’s essential to bear in mind to maintain that drive ahead. Prepare exhausting and work exhausting. Previous success will not be an indicator of future success.”