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Visitors might be surprised at the welcome greeting they receive from A.J. the Robot upon entering the new A. J. Whittenberg Elementary School. A.J. the talking robot is the first of many features that make this engineering-focused school unique.A.J. Whittenberg, is the only school in South Carolina to offer a school-wide engineering curriculum at the elementary level. �Engineering is the lens through which we can really teach kids how to be prepared for the world 20 years down the road when they enter their professions or are competing for their professions,� says Whittenberg Program Director Ansel Sanders. �Our success is in exposing our students to the opportunities that are out there. That type of learning needs to begin at a very early age.� Curriculum The selection of appropriate curriculum was a critical step during school planning, and Superintendent Dr. Phinnize Fisher was eager to implement hands-on STEM solutions from Pitsco Education and LEGO� Education. These curricula, sets, and materials are key tools through which engineering � as well as math, science, and literacy � concepts will be learned throughout the day. Pitsco elementary curriculum is delivered at four-person Crew workstations in two STEM labs where team members work cooperatively to complete hands-on experiments in topics such as ecology, energy and work, motion, matter, plants, animal adaptations, and transportation. LEGO Education curriculum focuses on topics such as simple machines, WeDo� robotics, and motorized mechanisms. Junior LEGO League will also be an after-school program for early exploration in programming and robotics. AJ the Robot Superintendent Fisher suggested that the school�s mascot, AJ the Robot, take a lifelike form, so Sanders turned to a group of students who could serve as role models for Whittenberg�s first batch of students. �I wanted to find the most experienced and most successful robotics team we have here in Greenville County, and that turned out to be EnTech 281, based out of Greenville Tech Charter High School,� Sanders explained. �I see it as forming a relationship with kids who have been through the process and through the LEGO League and made their way up. I�d love to see them become mentors for our very young children who begin participating this year in Junior LEGO League.� Under the guidance of Michael Andrews from nearby Michelin Americas Research Company, EnTech 281 students spent the summer designing, prototyping, programming, and constructing AJ the Robot, who was in place to greet visitors on the first day of school. Pitsco helped fund the project and provided technical assistance and support through its Research and Development Department. (Image provided by Greenville County Schools.)
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