Robotics
Curricular
All Camas School District students receive Robotics instruction starting in second grade. The two-week unit utilizes WeDo Legos and is led by our Robotics teacher on special assignment (TOSA) and second grade teaching staff. In fifth grade, all students participate in two-week unit using EV3 Lego robots. Both units employ building (engineering) and coding (computer science) instruction and tasks.
Both middle schools offer Robotics as part-year and full-year electives.
Camas High School offers several levels of Robotics instruction, including Introduction to Robotics, Advanced Robotics, Robotics Seminar, and Prototyping and Independent Technology.
Students at Hayes Freedom High School can select from an introductory and an advanced course using a wide variety of Robotics components.
Extracurricular
During the spring, elementary school students who are extremely interested in Robotics and can participate in a six-week afterschool program at their home school. The program prepares each team for “Hayes Days,” a competition and celebration of learning between all six elementary schools. Due to the popularity of this program, in recent years participation has been determined by lottery.
At the middle and high school level, students can take part in FIRST Robotics teams, which meet and compete after regular school hours, year-round. There are three levels of FIRST Robotics:
- First Lego League (FLL), Grades 5–8
- First Tech Challenge (FTC), a competition for business-engineering teams building robots of about the two foot square size, with simpler challenges. Grades 8–12.
- First Robotics Competition (FRC), a competition for business-engineering teams building robots the size of humans, with difficult and complicated challenges. Grades 9–12.
Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad competitions are like academic track meets, consisting of 23 events respective to each division (Division B being middle school and Division C being high school). The events list, which varies slightly year to year, covers many scientific areas of study so that there is something of interest to everyone. While exploring disciplines such as chemistry, earth science, physics, and engineering, students develop valuable teamwork and study skills in a fun and challenging environment.
Camas School District students from fifth grade to twelfth grade participate in Science Olympiad. Students in elementary school participate in a five week long club that prepares them for local and/or regional competition.
Middle school students participate in club activities in district middle schools. Eighth grade students who are willing to commit to a longer season are often invited to participate in high school competitions.
Camas High School Science Olympiad teams regularly compete in national and international competitions.
Coding
In the 2016-17 school year, Camas School District will pilot a coding program in the third and fourth grade classrooms of Helen Baller Elementary and Woodburn Elementary. The program is made possible by $10,000 grants from Camas Educational Foundation and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Eighth graders at Liberty Skyridge Middle School and Skyridge Middle School receive coding instruction as part of their technology units.
At Camas High School, students can select from a wide range of computer science and coding classes, including an Introduction to Coding course, which teaches students basic skills in Python, Java, and RobotC; Advanced Placement Computer Science; and a variety of programming opportunities throughout or Robotics curriculum.
Hayes Freedom High School students can choose from technology offerings that include Programming for Robotics, and Scratch.
