When the sister of Dominican science teacher and robotics coach Mrs. Crissy Giacona asked for assistance to help her Brownie Troop earn their Robotics Badges, the timing was perfect. “This was something I had been considering, but just did not have a contact,” shared Mrs. Giacona. “It was a win-win situation.”

Each Brownie Troop had a Saturday session in Dominican’s Robotics Lab, hosted by Mrs. Giacona and Dominican’s Robotics students. The Brownies programmed an EV3 Robot, learned about the FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) competition, drove an FTC outreach robot, and observed how 3D printers work. 

At the end of their visit, each Brownie received a Dominican gift bag. It included a unique bag tag with their troop number on it. The bag tag was designed and created by Dominican student Isabella Sachitano who is in the robotics program.

“They were excited to be here,” said Mrs. Giacona. “The girls loved the experience and had fun participating. Their inquisitive nature had them asking great questions during the presentation and answering the questions I proposed.”

Dominican student Marisa Acevedo described the Brownies’ introduction to robotics, as “A wonderful experience. They were very enthusiastic and eager to learn the basics of coding, drive our demonstration robot, and had lots of fun doing so! It was very enjoyable for them, our team members, and even the parents.”