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TUSD spotlights robotics and STEM programs; 13 teams head to world championships
Summary
District staff highlighted expansion of STEM access across grade levels, AI‑supported learning pilots, and student leadership in robotics; district representatives said 13 teams will compete at the upcoming world championship in St. Louis.
The Tustin Unified School District highlighted student achievement in STEM and robotics during a board presentation on March 18, emphasizing access, student leadership and program scale.
Robotics and STEM TOSA Megan Lund described district efforts ranging from coding and AI pilots to expansion of 3‑D printing and laser cutting. She noted tools and certifications in use across secondary sites, reported more than 1,100 students using design software, and said the district supports student‑led tournaments and mentorship roles.
Lund cited metrics including more than 140 3‑D printers districtwide, over 7,000 modeling hours in Onshape, 26 SolidWorks certifications this year, and 31 teams qualifying for the California State Championship. She told the board that 13 teams are scheduled to compete next week in the world championship in St. Louis.
Students from Heidemann Elementary and Beckman High School spoke during the presentation. Fifth‑grader Victoria Lopez described a "Girl Powered Leadership" coding project that introduced TK and kindergarten students to coding, and Beckman junior Gianna Kozak talked about eight years in VEX Robotics and leadership growth culminating in serving as a head judge at competitions.
The presentation also mentioned a Snorkel AI pilot used by teachers (593 active teacher users cited) and more than 200,000 student responses where AI acted as a collaborator to provide immediate rubric‑aligned feedback. District and foundation staff encouraged community attendance at upcoming student art and music events and thanked the Tustin Public Schools Foundation for support.
The board applauded the students and staff; several members noted the scale of the program and expressed pride in the district's extracurricular and CTE offerings. No funding increases or policy changes were voted on as part of the presentation; the item was informational.
