Natchitoches Magnet and NSU Elementary Lab battled it out for robotic supremacy at the E-Lab’s Gym Tuesday, March 13th. The event featured 49 competitors divided into 9 elementary teams and 3 middle-school teams. The teams programmed their robots to run autonomously over a course, pick up and drop off items while avoiding obstacles and staying on course. The teams also had to deal with unexpected setbacks and course changes. The competition builds programing skills as well as teamwork and flexibility – excellent preparation for the real world.

The parish’s robotics teams were unable to attend a regional competition in Bossier City due to severe weather. Undeterred, the coaches decided to host a local robotics competition in order to give the teams a chance to show off their hard work. The result was quite a success and may lead to many more. Congratulations to the students and coaches from both teams. The Natchitoches Parish Journal would also like to commend the 12 students from the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts who volunteered to assist with the competition.

Smart kids, doing smart things, learning and growing – that is exactly the kind of stuff the Natchitoches Parish Journal, and the citizens of the parish, want to see more often. The NPJ is looking forward to next year’s competition – with each school in the parish fielding a team!