Lexington One Educational Foundation Awards $10,000 in Michelin VEX Robotics Grants

Lexington, SC 11/03/2022: The Lexington County School District One Educational Foundation recently awarded $10,000 in

Michelin VEX Robotics Grants to Lexington District One middle and high school VEX Robotics team. These grants

are a result of a $30,000 commitment from Michelin North America, Inc., to support robotics and computer science

education in the district.

These Educational Foundation grant funds can be used for needed robotics team expenses, which can be quite

costly, such as purchasing one or more robotics kits, tools and equipment, as well as to cover team registration fees

and other unmet expenses incurred as a result of the teams participating in local and state competitions.

Foundation Executive Director Julie Anderson Washburn shared, “Computer science learning opportunities

provided by participation on a school VEX Robotics team teach our students important, marketable skills that help

prepare them for a variety of industries. Technology-related fields are the future and Michelin executives recognize

and support such valuable experiences for our Lexington District One students.”

Students who choose to become involved in a school robotics team learn skills in building, design, engineering,

coding, computational thinking, range of motion, simple machinery, collaboration, teamwork, marketing, public

speaking and more. All of these experiences help develop a variety of very valuable skills in our students, which are

desirable to future employers.

Each year a school’s VEX robotics team members must work together to design, construct and program a robot

based on the competition year’s given parameters. In addition, students must learn to maneuver it using a remote

control; conduct product trials; and correct performance issues either before or during competitions. Participation

in robotics competitions gives Lexington District One students the opportunity to see how other teams addressed

the challenges, to meet students from other communities, and to learn from their experiences.

Congratulations to the 2022-2023 Michelin VEX Robotics Grant teams:

• Beechwood Middle School – Team Coaches Brittany Feaster and Garrick Ball; Principal Gloria Jenkinson

• Lakeside Middle School – Team Coaches Ben Godfrey and Don Mellen (volunteer); Principal Casey Calhoun

• Pelion Middle School - Team Coach John Leneschmidt; Principal Jessica Keisler

• Pleasant Hill Middle School – Team Coach Darren Sigmon; Principal Julie Painter

• White Knoll Middle School - Team Coach Alan Lominick; Principal Donald Hardie

• Lexington Technology Center/Lexington High School – Team Coaches Melissa Boehler and Daniel

Cummins; LTC Director Bryce Myers; LHS Principal Ryan Pool

• River Bluff High School- Team Coaches Horst Daichendt, Sarah Tooley, Don Mellen (volunteer) and Ana

Daichendt; Principal Jacob Smith

• White Knoll High School - Team Coaches Cory Summerall and Darren Murray; Principal Nicholas Pearson

Based on the success of the district’s many VEX Robotics Teams last school year, with the three high school teams

making it to the VEX Worlds Competition last May, hopes are high for continued success in this 2022-23 school

year. The Educational Foundation’s Board of Directors and staff are extremely grateful for companies like Michelin

that invest in Lexington District One students and help to provide such wonderful, real-world experiences via our

school VEX robotics teams.

Pictured: Photos of each school’s VEX Robotics Team.