{"id":3262,"date":"2017-04-10T14:59:57","date_gmt":"2017-04-10T18:59:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/education-information\/?p=3262"},"modified":"2024-02-12T08:33:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T13:33:00","slug":"motivation-determination-overcoming-obstacles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/education-information\/motivation-determination-overcoming-obstacles\/","title":{"rendered":"Motivation, Determination, Overcoming Obstacles"},"content":{"rendered":"

St. Petersburg College education<\/a> graduate Daniel Conrad is making a difference by challenging students who live in a remote Utah community to believe they can do anything.<\/p>\n

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Team 6546 Naatsis\u2019\u00e1\u00e1n Robotics<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Motivation,\u00a0determination\u00a0and imagination,” is what Conrad, an advisor\/science teacher coaches\u00a0to his students who are competing\u00a0in multiple rounds of what’s called a “First Robotics Competition.” Conrad is\u00a0a 2014\u00a0SPC Middle Grades Science<\/a>\u00a0grad who currently teaches at Navajo Mountain High School.<\/p>\n

100 miles from the nearest grocery store<\/h5>\n

Navajo Mountain High School in Utah is located near the Arizona border and is one of the most remote in the continental United States. The school has 32 enrolled students who are Navajo. The staff consists of five teachers, one librarian, and one assistant teacher.<\/p>\n

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Navajo Mountain High School<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The area’s\u00a0community are a\u00a0self-sufficient enclave of hardy individuals.<\/p>\n

The majority of people who live\u00a0in the area have no running water, and there is one paved road in and out of the community. The nearest gas station\/convenience store is more than 30 miles away.\u00a0 The nearest grocery store is in Page, AZ, about 100 miles away. \u00a0Internet access is only available at the school.<\/p>\n

Determined to succeed<\/strong>
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The school’s Robotics Team, made up of 40 percent\u00a0of the student population, are determined to succeed even when facing adversity.<\/p>\n

Their first obstacle – not receiving their kit until one week after kickoff due to a snow storm.\u00a0 Students had to use critical thinking and learn new skills, stretching beyond what they thought they were capable of. \u00a0With the nearest Home Depot about\u00a0170 miles away, they had to make due with\u00a0scraps to substitute for materials they lacked.<\/p>\n

Since their mentor and the team lacked experience, there was much trial and error. Competitors worked for six weeks to design, build, program and test their robots. This year the competition’s theme was based on the science-fiction genre steampunk, which involves mixing old and new technology.<\/p>\n

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First Idaho Regional Robotics Competition<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For the competition, robots need to complete several tasks, including catching large gears and driving across the competition field \u2014 dubbed “the pit” \u2014 then placing gears on pegs and climbing rope. Sophomore Nahida Smith, proudly watched the robot move driven by her code who helped program Navajo’s robot. “I didn’t know I could do this,” Smith said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Briana Bitsinnie, a 17-year-old junior on the team, welded metal scraps to build the cage, which holds in the workings of the machine. <\/a>She has a 23-mile commute to and from the school.<\/p>\n

Determination to Overcome<\/strong><\/h5>\n

On March 27,<\/span>\u00a0Conrad and the team were off to Idaho for the first Idaho Regional Robotics Competition at Boise State University.\u00a0 They finished in 9th<\/sup> place and won the Rookie All Star Award.<\/p>\n

Winning this moves\u00a0the team to an invitation to the First Championships in Houston, Texas<\/a>\u00a0that begins April 19.\u00a0 To meet their goal to participate, Conrad and the team are raising funds to go to Houston.<\/p>\n