24 MAY 2024 By Shi Bradley Veritas Prep teachers Juan Garcia and Walter Lindsay wanted a way to share their technological backgrounds and passion for engineering with their students, a goal that led them to create a new robotics club that gives students a taste of engineering and STEM while staying true to Veritas’s classic curriculum. “Competition breeds innovation,” Garcia said. “Not all students want athletics. Some would rather compete in the academic fields of STEM.” The robotics club, which meets after school on Tuesdays, was created to teach students about teamwork, goal-setting, and understanding and navigating technology. “Software and technology are tools that require moral responsibility, and modern culture is still figuring out the proper applications for emerging technologies,” Garcia explained. “Veritas is a classical school, and both hopes are extensions of what the school teaches: truth, goodness and beauty.” Starting the club meant finding proper resources the students would need to participate in activities and competitions. Fortunately, Veritas had most of the materials, like competition kits (erector-set-like supplies), computers and handheld controllers – as well as a space to meet and store materials. Garcia said they need to access more resources to grow the organization and prepare students for bigger opportunities. “Next year, we’ll need to get a competition arena so student teams can compete with each other to improve and be ready to compete with other schools,” he said. While the two teachers have backgrounds in technology and science, learning how to build robots was new territory for them and the club members. “None of us have built robots before,” Garcia said. “The students had never built a machine, and the most they knew about programming came from simple file modifications for video games.” The club overcame those challenges, however, and has already created two robots. Members discuss updates to the robot’s design, software and hardware at each meeting. Garcia and Lindsay encourage students to look for ways to improve their designs to prepare them for competitions. “Now that students are designing and altering their robots without prompt or assistance, we’ve begun to set experiments for them to complete given constraints as a challenge,” Garcia said. “We are focusing on growth in preparation for next year.” Garcia hopes that the program can evolve to become more independent and that students will begin to take more initiative and responsibility within the club. “Robotics Works needs to be student-run,” Garcia said. We, the coaches, are just advisors. We follow the students’ lead and offer support. Student-led teams that compete with other schools create an environment that encourages them to improve their skills and way of thinking to achieve success.” Technology and teamwork help this new student-led club GOT OSTEOPOROSIS? GOT OSTEOPOROSIS? OSTEOSTRONG CAN HELP! BONES | STRENGTH | BALANCE 480-428-1011 3301 E Indian School Road in Phoenix JOIN OUR MAY EVENTS! • Echolight Bone Imaging Scan: Bone density (no X-rays) & 5-year fracture risk. Book your appointment. May 3rd to 9th. • OsteoStrong Arcadia Open House: Exclusive education & promotional event on Sunday, May 19th, 2 to 4pm. Qualify for our Qualify for our science-backed science-backed Qualify for our science-backed Qualify for our Qualify for our science-backed Qualify for our program program Nina Phoenix, AZ Femoral Neck Increased +13.8% in 14 Months www.OsteoStrongArcadia33.com Scan to chat OSTEOPOROSIS AWARENESS AND PREVENTION MONTH By Kylie de Best Kristin Van Helmond has two children – a son and a daughter – so, she’s well-versed in all of the feelings a mother experiences while watching their children grow. It’s been said that time flies – and Kristin realized how true this was after the birth of her second child. She searched for a way to preserve the memories of those growing stages that could be shared with parents everywhere. Her solution? A children’s book called Babies Don’t Keep. Kristin’s book was inspired by Zoe, who just turned five, and Max, who turns one in June. Before she became a mother, Kristin pursued a career that she describes as “a stressful environment in the corporate role, a far cry from books.” After Zoe was born, Kristin left her job to become a stay-at-home mom. She said she wrote the book to express to her children how much they are loved and how much tenacity and love they have given her. “I have struggled to find a career path that fulfills me, and while staying home is the hardest job I have ever had, it has given my life so much purpose,” Kristin shared. “This is my first book, something I did not think I could write. Five years later, I am so proud of it. I guess it could be considered my third baby.” While brainstorming ideas for the book, Kristin would write down phrases and words that expressed how she was mourning the reality that time was passing by and that her son and daughter were growing up so fast. These feelings overwhelmed her, especially after Max was born, because she felt the newborn stage was passing by much quicker than it had with Zoe. She feared that she would forget a part of him. “As I started to put down my feelings about motherhood, I realized that parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles can also relate to how fast time passes by too quickly. All of a sudden, babies are no longer babies, and it is easy to want to bottle up every moment of their lives,” Kristin said. After she completed the writing, she researched an illustrator who would complement the words on the pages. Six months later, the project was ready for the world. Kristin said she is so grateful for all of the support she has received. Though she isn’t sure what the future holds for her writing career, she would love to write another book at some point. “I am generally a more introverted person, and it took a lot for me to put such a big piece of my heart out in the world,” Kristin said. “I am enjoying my time with my kids and looking forward to seeing where it goes. I hope the book resonates with others.” Babies Don’t Keep can be found at UrbAna, Casa Lola, LGO, or on Amazon. Arcadia mom adds ‘published writer’ to her resume Zoe, Kristin and Max Van Helmond. PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTIN VAN HELMOND

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