EarthLink grant boosts Mill Creek robotics

A Mill Creek robotics team from a previous year included , front from left, Seth Johnson, Cole Moore, Isabella Gramicionni, Isha Patel and Abigail Davies, back from left, Delaney Horton, Olivia Blanton, Sean Flynn and Fletcher Canup. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – A grant from EarthLink will add four robots to the corral of robotics teams at Mill Creek Elementary School.

The grant is part of EarthLink’s ongoing HALO (Helps, Acts, Links and Outreach) initiative that supports technology in education. EarthLink is a leading managed network that provides ‘cloud’ solutions for multi-location businesses.

The grant to Mill Creek will allow the team to purchase four new LEGO EV3 robots. The additional technology with these units will enable more hands-on time for each student to learn and develop their building and programming skills.

“We are so grateful for EarthLink’s support and generosity in providing this amazing opportunity for our robotics students,” Sharon Harris said. Harris works as gifted specialist and robotics team coach at Mill Creek.

Before the EarthLink grant, “we had only been able to purchase one EV3 per team, and it’s a little scary going to competition without a backup,” Harris said. “Now, we have six EV3 robots to be shared by our two teams.”

Along with the added help at competitions, more robots mean more individual time for each team member, Harris said.

Kevin Cummings, regional director of sales for EarthLink, said EarthLink’s technology focus lends “a natural fit for us to help public schools in our communities to leverage technology to foster more effective teaching.”

Technology-rich education is vital in preparing today’s students for the global community in which they live and will work, he said. “We at EarthLink are pleased to support the students at Mill Creek Elementary School,” Cummings said.

EarthLink’s local office address is 7037 Old Madison Pike, Suites 400 and 450. The company helps thousands of specialty retailers, restaurants, financial institutions, healthcare providers, professional service firms and local governments deliver a reliable and engaging customer experience in their stores and branch offices.

EarthLink’s nationwide network spans more than 28,000 fiber route miles. For more information, visit earthlink.com or Facebook/Earthlink.