The Weld Trust awarded a grant to Salida Del Sol to support their Coding and Robotics after-school program. This STEM-based activity helped introduce 89 elementary and middle school students to coding and programming using robotics. The grant was used to purchase equipment and materials needed for the program.
The curriculum embraces the trial-and-error method. “First you make a plan, then build it, test and evaluate, and readjust. This is a continual loop that is followed until success is achieved.” described Alethea Stadler, Salida Del Sol’s robotics program director.
“It was so inspiring for me to see them understand that they were not doing anything wrong when things didn’t work but that it was part of the process, and they began to understand that it was ok to follow the process and that it would ultimately lead to success,” stated Stadler.
Salida Del Sol hopes to expand the program to additional students in the next year. They will also explore bringing in technology professionals to speak with students so they can hear first-hand from specialists in the tech environment. This program helps students learn STEM related skills as well as learn about future career opportunities in this field.
