COVID-19 Can Be Beat - Please Don't Shut Down All Youth Activities Indiscriminately

GRANDVILLE, Mich., Nov. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- If you're looking for some good news - visit the Grandville Robotics Center where we've been beating coronavirus since June 6.

Grandville students and parents are urging State of Michigan officials not to close their Grandville Robotics program – it's one of the safest places a student can be.  This program serves hundreds of students every day, and the program has operated since its reopening on June 6 with ZERO coronavirus transmissions.

The Grandville Robotics program provides hands-on science and technology programs for K-12 students.  We are one of the largest and most successful competitive robotics programs in the country, and our teams routinely beat top teams from all over America.  We have proven thus far that we can also beat COVID-19.  Our programs have operated for 24 consecutive weeks without even a single case where one program participant passed COVID-19 to another.

This is not a small accomplishment.  We have operated day camps and overnight camps with students from Michigan and surrounding states.  We currently run more than 70 elementary, middle school, and high school teams.  We have run multiple high school competitions at our facility since August 26, bringing together top teams from six states.  We have run elementary and middle school Lego League, VEX IQ, and VEX EDR competitions for hundreds of students.  And yet, through the determined efforts of our families and tight health protocols, we have had ZERO COVID-19 transmissions in any of our programs.

Our program is a model for coronavirus precautions that has been adopted at facilities and competitions around the country.  We pioneered health screening and contact tracing programs for youth teams.  We use masks, social-distancing, small group cohorts, and enhanced cleaning practices to reduce the risk of passing coronavirus.  Our facility is a closed environment, and only screened and approved team members and coaches may enter.  We do not allow parents in the building, nor spectators at any of our events.  We broadcast our elementary, middle school, and high school Leagues and Tournaments to the internet so families and fans can watch.  

We have beaten coronavirus for 24 weeks, and we can continue to beat it.  As community COVID-19 cases have climbed, the Grandville Robotics Center has continued to be one of the safest places a student can be.  State, county, and local officials are invited to visit the Grandville Robotics Center, virtually or in-person, and to understand our success before issuing blanket coronavirus rules that will force this model of coronavirus success to close. 

Learn more about our programs and retrace our path to success beating COVID-19 on our Facebook pages: https://www.facebook.com/GrandvilleRobotics and https://www.facebook.com/TheRoboDawgs

Grandville Public Schools has been a leader in educational robotics for more than 23 years.  On November 5, 2019, local voters approved fund construction of the country's first built-for-purpose robotics competition arena.  Construction is underway and we look forward to fielding teams in this new facility in late 2022 or early 2023.

Beginning with one high school robotics team in 1998, the program has now grown to include more than 110 teams based at the District's Robotics & Engineering Center.  More than 700 students participate on Grandville robotics teams, designing, building, and programming robotics for competitions around the world.  Grandville elementary teams compete in Lego League and VEX IQ events. Our middle school fields teams competing in VEX EDR and RECF RAD Drones.  Grandville High School fields teams that compete in VEX AI and VEX EDR, as well as FIRST Robotics Competition.  The Grandville High School RoboDawgs have built and flown autonomous aerial drones for seven years.  Our high school teams build autonomous vehicles to compete on land, water, and in the air.

For more information, contact RoboDawg Head Coaches:  Mike Evele – [email protected] or Doug Hepfer – [email protected], 616-540-3239

SOURCE Grandville Robotics

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