Sumner-Cowley Electric has partnered with Cowley College and KanOkla Networks to bring a county-wide robotics program to middle school students. 64 students from five middle schools have signed on to participate in the program. Wellington Christian, Wellington, Belle Plaine, Caldwell, and South Haven are the participating middle schools.
In December, students and faculty received their robotics kits and program guidelines at the Cowley College Technology and Innovation Center in Wellington. Each robotics kit includes three robots per four to six students involved. The robots are specialized to develop student abilities in different areas of technology and problem-solving.
Representatives from Cowley College, KanOkla Networks, and Sumner-Cowley Electric were present to speak to students and faculty followed with a tour the facilities. Each team of four to six students will learn and practice assembly, programming, task completion, and troubleshooting. The 12 teams will then compete at the annual Cowley College Agriculture & CTE Open House in April, with the winner advancing to a next level competition.
The ultimate goal is to teach the programming language to students, leading to career paths in tech, IT, AI, programming, assembly, and repairing robotics. It is predicted nearly all career paths, from healthcare to agriculture, will be enhanced through the use of AI and robotics. Learning this language at an early age will open multiple career options for our students.
The hope for the county-wide program is that through competition and networking, this will create future collaboration between students and spark ideas for startups or the expansion of current businesses in Sumner County, attracting more employment opportunities, a skilled workforce and higher wages.
If you’d like to learn more about this program, contact Sumner-Cowley at 888-326-3356.