Daniel Flyer, a sophomore at Roslyn High School, just completed his first semester working with underprivileged children on a key STEM initiative: robotics.
Flyer, treasurer of the Roslyn High School Robotics Club and incoming vice president, was a founding member of this new club, which placed second at the VEX Robotics Competition hosted by Adelphi University. Flyer hoped to bring his love of robotics and the skills and advantages associated with exposure to the concept to children who otherwise would not have the opportunity to be exposed to the subject matter.
He initiated, developed and taught a robotics extension at The Woman’s Opportunity Rehabilitation Center’s After-School Tutorial Program over the through the spring semester and worked with teenage children of previously incarcerated women.
“I absolutely love robotics and my experience being part of the robotics team at Roslyn High School,” Flyer said. “When I realized that the kids at WORC didn’t have the types of opportunities available to them that the kids in Roslyn do, I wanted to share my passion and knowledge with them.”
WORC, based in Hempstead, is a community correction program which offers alternative-to-incarceration programs for female offenders in and around Nassau County.
Unfortunately, for women who are mothers, the impact of their imprisonment is also felt by their children. Research has shown that school-age children of incarcerated parents exhibit school-related problems, both in terms of academic performance and absenteeism, and problems with peer relationships.
Studies have shown that parental incarceration can, in fact, be more traumatic to students than even a parent’s death or divorce, and the damage it can cause to students’ education, health, and social relationships puts them at higher risk of one day going to prison themselves.
With funding from local non-profit Children’s Hope India, WORC has implemented a Comprehensive After-School Tutorial Program for approximately 50 children whose mothers have had contact with the criminal justice system.
Through this intervention, the program, which runs four afternoons per week, increases students’ achievement by providing homework assistance, utilizing the most recent technology. The program did not have a specific STEM component.
Flyer identified the opportunity to engage the older children in the program with a topic, robotics, which is not only useful in today’s society, but interesting to those of high school age.
Over eight sessions, Flyer worked with the teens to build the VEX robot and program the robot to perform simple tasks, like lifting a paper cup and navigating around obstacles. The group made a concluding presentation to the staff and participants of the After-School Tutorial Program on Thursday, June 7.
“Robotics is an important part of our future. Robotics are being used in many areas of the workplace, such as medicine, auto making, construction, and many other areas of businesses. It’s an integral part of the STEM program taught in many schools,” said Beverly Johnson one of the teachers at WORC. “Our students learned a lot. It’s exciting and not so aliening once students gain hands on knowledge of what robotics entail. In the new school year, we hope to enlighten more students on the benefits of learning robotics and look forward to having Daniel return in the fall.”
Flyer plans to run the program again during the 2018-2019 school year, and expects the many inquisitive children who witnessed the program from the sidelines to jump at the chance to be participants the next go round.