FONTANA, CA – Two Fontana Unified schools will make history as the District’s first to compete in the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) Friendship Invitational Tournament in Aarhus, Denmark from Aug. 1-4 after their success at a WRO Tournament in April.

Seven students from Randall Pepper Elementary and Wayne Ruble Middle schools will face off against nearly 150 teams from 33 countries, creating robotics solutions related to the 2019 theme “Smart Cities” and designing, constructing and programming robots to solve specific challenges on a field.

“Our schools are constantly assessing how we can inspire innovation in our students and we have seen tremendous growth – a positive culture on campus, creative problem-solving and an excitement for learning,” Randall Pepper Principal Dr. Annette Beasley said. “Our students are thrilled to be part of this historic moment and to showcase the skills they’ve learned in such a short time.”

Through a partnership with Engineering for Kids, Randall Pepper Elementary launched its robotics program in January, forming a team from a lottery of second- to fifth-grade students with strong attendance rates. Wayne Ruble Middle School’s program – also founded in partnership with the local organization – has bolstered students’ coding, robotics and computer science skills since 2017.

Over four days, the novice robotics students will tour the original LEGOLAND in Billund and explore the city of Aarhus before preparing for two days of competition and mini challenges. Randall Pepper students will compete with WeDo robots they build and program themselves, while Wayne Ruble students will build and program EV3 LEGO robots.

Fontana Unified has expanded learning opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at all educational levels, inspiring students to develop a diverse skillset to thrive in a variety of academic and professional fields.

“Our students have demonstrated tremendous STEM skills and continue to impress our parents, staff and community with their ingenuity,” Fontana Unified Superintendent Randal S. Bassett said. “We are tremendously proud of our students who will represent Fontana at the international level and are deeply appreciative of the hardworking educators who supported our students every step of the way.”

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FUSD_WRO: Randall Pepper Elementary and Wayne Ruble Middle School will advance seven students to the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) Friendship Invitational Tournament in August.