The Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva (RPRY) in Edison had 12 student teams participate in a Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE) Robotics Tournament earlier this month.

RPRY announced on Facebook, in part: “RPRY’s robotics team won two first-place and two second-place titles at the CIJE Robotics Tournament. Five out of our 12 teams placed in the top 16 for the playoffs. Our fifth team in the playoffs placed fourth overall, just missing a title. Our students displayed excellent middot, collaboration and sportsmanship.”

Chana Luchins, RPRY principal, elementary school and learning, elaborated on the school’s participation in the tournament. “We keep our robotics teams small, generally two to three students, so that every child has numerous opportunities for hands-on experience. … We fielded 12 teams this year. … The CIJE tournament is a collaborative competition and teams that cooperated were able to get higher scores.”

Luchins shared with The Jewish Link, “Robotics is one component of RPRY’s larger STEM program, which spans early childhood through eighth grade. Students are first introduced to the scientific method and the engineering design process. Upper elementary students begin developing their coding skills through weekly computer instruction classes as well as robotics classes. Lisa Ben Haim, the computer teacher, begins building students’ deeper coding skills. Two Rutgers engineering students, Jesse Lerner (RPRY ’16) and Chana Bialik, facilitate the VEX GO robotics program for the upper elementary students.

“Students in grades four to eight get experience with all aspects of the engineering process, ranging from the physics and mathematical symmetry needed to successfully maintain a complex robot build to the computer coding and driving techniques. Robotics is not an elective or a club, rather it is integrated into science instruction. …

“We are so grateful to our amazing Teach NJ STEM team, Mark Snow, robotics and computer science teacher extraordinaire and program lead; Victor Alegria-Chavez, computer-assisted design and physics of engineering expert; Deborah Jasper, computer coding teacher; and Jillian Jeffries, circuitry physics and chemistry teacher; in addition to our expert eighth grade science teacher, Claire Kagel. Credit for creating our original STEM program goes to Sari Shalmon, a”h, upon whose foundation we were able to build. We greatly appreciate the support of our current CIJE mentor, Barbara Sehgal.

Harry Glazer, an award winning journalist (how about that?!?), is the Middlesex County editor of The Jewish Link. He can be reached at [email protected].