George Headley Primary School triumphs at Robot Olympiad

George Headley Primary School emerged as the standout performer at the recently held inaugural Code Jamaica Expo featuring the Future Innovators category of the World Robot Olympiad Jamaica (WRO Jamaica), a project-based robotics competition and exhibition, at the AC Hotel in Kingston on June 22. The competition is part of Code Jamaica suite of programmes organised by Halls of Learning and supported by Seprod Foundation, Musson Foundation and the American Friends of Jamaica. The Kingston-based primary school ‘Tech-Titans’ A team secured the top prize, while the B team took third place. Reach Academy’s ‘Thunderbolts’ team placed second.

The WRO Jamaica Future Innovators featured innovative projects from nine teams, challenging them to develop and showcase robotic solutions for real-world problems centred around this year’s theme of Earth Allies: Sustainable Future and Force of Nature. Each team researched and constructed functional robots tailored to address specific societal challenges.

George Headley’s winning team consisted of Joelle Willis, Jadison Lee Williams, and captain Kemelia Lawrence. Team B was led by captain Leah Burrell alongside team members Talecia Williams and Jazara Ireland. The ‘Thunderbolts’ team consisted of Gia Whyms-Stone, Jacob Wong and Jaxen Mitchell.

The winning team impressed the judges with their innovative project; a fire-sensing and extinguishing robot. The students described their creation as a “mini version of a fire truck but more tech-like,” highlighting its enhanced efficiency compared to traditional fire trucks.

Lisa D’Oyen, executive director of the Seprod Foundation, reflected on the event: “We are delighted by the talent and innovation showcased by all the students who participated in the expo; the diverse projects highlight the creativity and dedication of our young innovators. Partnering with Halls of Learning allows us to continue to nurture STEAM education in Jamaica, empowering students to shape our future.”

Dayne Grant, robotics coach, George Headley Primary School, shared his excitement over the teams’ achievement: “Entering this competition for the first time, the sleepless nights and hard work have paid off. We are grateful for the exposure and opportunity this experience has provided our students. Learning new programming and coding skills was challenging, but witnessing their growth and success has been immensely rewarding.”

The first-place team from the competition will join the winning teams from the WRO Jamaica Robo Missions category to represent Jamaica at the WRO finals in Turkey in November, while the second-place and third placed teams will compete at the European finals in Italy in September, and the Americas Championship in Puerto Rico, respectively.

The WRO Jamaica Future Innovators category encourages students to develop project based robotic solutions addressing real-world challenges aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Marvin Hall, Founder of Halls of Learning, the National Organizer of WRO Jamaica, explained, “The WRO Jamaica Future Innovators category provided an excellent opportunity for students to develop their video editing skills, report writing and presentation skills. The Veggie Mania Champs robotics competition was a true test of independence as it challenged the students with an unseen mission that they had to solve without any coaching. WRO Jamaica not only enhances technical skills but also nurtures creativity, innovation, and presentation abilities.”