Downtown all‑girls robotics team honored after reaching U.S. Open round of 16
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Members of a downtown elementary all‑girls robotics team presented to the Kern County Board of Education about their trip to the Create U.S. Open in Iowa, describing how participation and Project Lead The Way classes helped them learn engineering and teamwork.
Trustee Laurie Cisneros introduced an all‑girls robotics team from Downtown School and invited the students to present their experience competing at the Create U.S. Open in Iowa.
“My name is Ariana and I'm from downtown school,” team member Ariana Carmona told the board, crediting friends and Project Lead The Way classes for getting her involved. The team said it advanced to the tournament’s round of 16 and described mechanical changes they made to reach that level.
Coach Brenda Mayer and parents joined the students at the dais; Mayer was identified in the meeting as the team’s coach and a Project Lead The Way instructor. Students described their robot as a conveyor‑style intake that collects and moves the scoring rings, and said the team iterated through four or five prototypes before arriving at the competition design.
Trustee Cisneros moved the agenda so the team could present before public comment; the board briefly paused regular business to allow the students to salute the flag and address the room.
The team’s trip included visiting local sites and competing at a field house; they said technical problems — including a conveyor belt motor failure on match day — were resolved just before they queued for a match. The students and coach thanked the board and audience for the invitation and support.