{"id":29454,"date":"2025-12-17T11:17:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T17:17:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/?p=29454"},"modified":"2025-12-18T17:39:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T23:39:00","slug":"from-lower-school-to-upper-school-a-week-of-code","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moundsparkacademy.org\/news\/2025\/12\/17\/from-lower-school-to-upper-school-a-week-of-code\/","title":{"rendered":"MPA Robotics Teams Inspire Future Innovators"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Upper<\/p>\n

From Lower School to Upper School: A Week of Code<\/span><\/h2>\n

MPA\u2019s school-wide, week-long participation in Hour of Code was a tremendous success! Throughout the week, students across all grade levels explored computer science through a variety of interactive platforms\u2014building characters, games, and puzzles while learning the fundamentals of coding. Hour of Code is an international initiative that aims to make computer science accessible to all learners and to spark curiosity about the ways technology shapes our world. For some Lower School students especially, this was their first opportunity to experience coding.<\/p>\n

Robotics Teams Showcased Robots In Action<\/h2>\n

Adding to the excitement, the MPA Robotics Team hosted the first-ever Lower School Robotics Assembly. Initially founded in 2011 by former MPA teacher and Makerspace coordinator Ms. Nicole Koen. In 2014, Mr. Marc Shapiro, Upper School Physics teacher, became the coach. His leadership and student involvement have grown steadily over the past 15 years to include both Middle and Upper School teams. Each season, students collaborate with mentors to design, build, and program a robot to meet a unique set of challenges before competing with and against teams from other schools.
\nDuring the assembly, both teams showcased their robots in action, much to the delight of the Lower School audience. Using game pieces and designs from previous competitions, they demonstrated precision, creativity, and teamwork in motion.
\n\"Instructor
\nEach team is made up of subgroups that focus on design, programming, building, and operations, and students devote many hours each week during the six-week build season preparing for competition. Their dedication, innovation, and collaborative spirit exemplify MPA\u2019s mission to combine creativity, problem-solving, and purpose in learning.<\/p>\n