Kids find science, tech, engineering and math fun at high school robotics summer camps

Janice Phelan
·3 min read

Where can kids build robots, develop a love of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and have a good time this summer? At the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District’s summer robotics camps, offered by each of the three high schools’ robotics teams.

The camps serve as fundraisers for the teams while recruiting future members for Lee’s Summit High School’s Team Driven, Lee’s Summit North’s Broncobots and Lee’s Summit West’s Team Titanium.

Several hundred students from kindergarten through middle school typically attend the weeklong summer sessions, which run June 10 through July 19 for LSHS, June 3-28 for LSNHS and June 3-20 for LSWHS. Offerings vary among the schools, with topics such as robotics, engineering, Lego robots and coding available.

LSHS began offering their summer sessions in 2006 while LSNHS and LSWHS started their summer outreach programs in 2008.

“The children attending the camps are introduced to engineering concepts, mechanical principles, programming basics and have a great time completing related projects and activities,” said Aaron Bond, a head coach for the Lee’s Summit West team.

Around 20 robotics team members per high school help during the summer camps, earning community-service credit as well as valuable organizational and leadership skills, according to the team coaches.

“Our Broncobots get an opportunity to serve in a mentoring role,” said Hillary Griffith, coach for the LSNHS team. “They spend time planning the activities and games and thinking through the best ways to teach and make it fun and engaging. It makes them stronger leaders.”

Sudents at a Lee’s Summit North robotics camp get enthusiastic about a science project.
Sudents at a Lee’s Summit North robotics camp get enthusiastic about a science project.

Many of the young campers will someday become members of the Lee’s Summit R-7 award-winning robotics teams.

“Over the many years of summer camps, we have had multiple students join Team Driven as students,” said Wyatt Durgan, head coach for the Lee’s Summit High School robotics team. “We even have many who become part of other robotics teams in Lee’s Summit and across the Kansas City metro area.”

Griffith added that more than 50% of the current Lee’s Summit North team members have attended one of the summer camps.

Having fun is built into each camp session.

“The high school robotics team learns communication and leadership skills as well as skills in working with young people and teaching STEM ideas,” Bond said. “They also have a great time playing, building and coding with the elementary students attending the camps.”

The three Lee’s Summit R-7 high schools have offered robotics programs since 2005 at LSHS and since 2006 for LSNHS and LSWHS. All three teams compete through the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) global nonprofit organization. The teams are assisted by a network of volunteer mentors from STEM industries.

A major fundraiser for each team, the summer camps help pay expenses such as robot parts and traveling to competitions, said Durgan.

As the robotics programs have grown, the school district has provided expanded spaces for both robot building and practice. A 2020 district bond issue helped fund the new robotics facilities located just outside both Lee’s Summit North and Lee’s Summit West. Building D at Lee’s Summit High School had previously provided space for all three teams.

For more information about each school’s robotics offerings, go here for Lee’s Summit High, go here for Lee’s Summit North and go here for Lee’s Summit West. Each high school also has a webpage devoted to overall summer camp offerings for children which include a variety of sports.