NLMUSD robotics program emphasizes student engineering passion

NLMUSD board of education members reached over their dias and attendees moved to get a better view of Marc Reyes program the four-legged robot during the meeting on Sep. 25. (PHOTO BY VINCENT MEDINA)

NORWALK – John Glenn High School senior Marc Reyes, 18, walked into the Norwalk La Mirada Unified School District board of education meeting behind the four-legged robot “MORT,” demonstrating what his AP Computer Science class has taught him.

The school board members reached over their dias and attendees jumped from their seats to get a better view of the robotics demonstration during the meeting on Sep. 25. Reyes made the robot dog roll over, stand on its hind legs and march across the room.

Student board member Janelle Calderon, a senior and the ASB president at John Glenn High School highlighted the school’s computer science pathway and emphasized the program’s focus on four essential programs, including JavaScript, Python, Java, and C++.

“One of the wireless ways to connect to the robot dog is actually hacking into one of the four computers within the robot,” Reyes said as he demonstrated the robot. “This piece of equipment can be programmed from someone who has beginner level experience to researchers level experience using block coding to C++ that takes thousands of lines of code.”

Reyes immigrated from the Philippines just a year ago and took a keen interest in engineering from a young age. His passion led him to join the school’s robotics club, where he has been able to apply his skills in hardware and software.

On top of his five AP courses and two college-level courses, the high school senior is president of the John Glenn High School Robotics Club, which has nine members. They are preparing for an upcoming Vex regional competition, where they will showcase robots designed to solve specific challenges.

His AP Computer Science teacher, Sergio Franco, also weighed in on the significance of the robotics program. He explained the robot has significant potential, however the goal is to improve the student’s experience.

“My goal as a teacher is for this piece of equipment to build student’s skills, to get them through to college and career ready,” Franco said. “They asked what it could do and some of the ideas that we have is to use that as motivation tool for younger students.”

Shaye Fairchild, an NLMUSD teacher on special assignment, praised Reyes’ and the robotics team’s achievements, noting the rarity of students programming such advanced technology.

“This is such new technology. It didn’t come with any instructions, they figured it all out as students,” Fairchild said.

As a senior, Reyes has begun looking into universities after he graduates to continue his education in engineering and computer sciences, with his top choice being the California Institute of Technology.

“Anyone can program this robot given the opportunity, the time and the push Mr. Franco did in his class, and helped take my skills from a beginner level to an AP level,” Reyes said. “I was given the opportunity to take what I learned from circuits to actually apply it to software.”

“I see this as a passion. I see this as something I want to further foster and develop as a skill.”