Rockford school district hoping to expand robotics clubs

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - Rockford schools are hoping to start robotics clubs district-wide in an effort to teach students science, technology, engineering and math skills.

So far 15 Rockford School District schools have robotics clubs. School officials say the plan is to expand the clubs to all district schools as soon as money is available.

Chris Magee is academy coach for the school district. He tells the Rockford Register Star (http://bit.ly/214QYjo) that an important benefit of a robotics club is that students learn skills that help prepare them for future careers.

Club members build robots from scratch or from beginner kits. They then compete against other schools to make their robots do tasks like climbing a ladder or shooting a ball through a hoop.

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Information from: Rockford Register Star, http://www.rrstar.com