May 13, 2026
During library STEM and coding sessions with Mrs. Schiller, the Technology Coach, and Mrs. Wilton, the library paraprofessional, 4th grade students at Hyman Fine transformed Dash robots into Winter Olympic athletes by programming them to ski through obstacle courses, glide across “ice skating” pathways, and compete in fast-paced hockey challenges.
Using block-based coding, students applied sequencing, debugging, problem-solving, and computational thinking skills as they designed precise movements and strategies for each event. The activities blended creativity and engineering in an engaging, hands-on environment where students collaborated, tested solutions, and refined their code just like real engineers and programmers. The excitement and teamwork throughout the Winter Olympics theme created an immersive learning experience that strengthened both coding confidence and critical thinking skills in a highly motivating way.
As the season continued, the project evolved into “Dash-ketball” during March Madness, where students coded their robots to dribble, pass, and shoot baskets while exploring accuracy, angles, teamwork, and strategic problem-solving through competitive coding challenges. Students explained their work and even showed off their coding skills with Dash-ketball demonstrations at A Night to Discover!