Signal Mountain Middle/High School is holding the second annual Ed Chapin Chattanooga Area Qualifying Tournament Saturday, Dec. 6 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“It’s a way for students to apply skill sets they learn in class and get to apply them to real-life problems,” said event organizer Charley Spencer.
The winners of this robotics competition, which is for elementary and middle school students all over the Chattanooga area, will go on to the regional competition in Cookeville, Tenn.
The same number of teams – 28 – will be competing this year as last, said Spencer. The SMMHS competition is currently at capacity with no room to grow, he added.
Every year, the competition changes with new problems to solve. Teams compete against the clock and the team that solves the most problems wins.
Spencer said SMMHS lends itself well to the competition because of its two gyms, as well as the support of principal Robin Copp, the Mountain Education Foundation and faculty members.
One-third of the teams competing at SMMHS will go on to Cookeville, he said.
Spectators are welcome at the competition, said Spencer, adding that 600-800 students, parents and teachers attended last year’s event.
Robotics is definitely growing in popularity in the Chattanooga area, he said.
“I’m working with the Hamilton County [Board of Education] central office to possibly integrate these programs into the classrooms themselves,” said Spencer. “It’s a way to get students excited about STEM subject matter.”