A new team has started at Kenston Forest for the 2016-2017 school year as part of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education.

Headmaster Paul Zanowski and several other Kenston families wanted to give Kenston Forest students more opportunities in the world of technology and robotics. Their hopes turned into reality with the help of a new faculty member, Jason Buchanan. Buchanan is teaching new classes related to technology including a robotics design class. He also leads an after school program two days a week giving students the opportunity to learn to build robots and to prepare for competitions.

On Oct. 22, the Kenston Forest Robotics Team traveled to the Wakefield School for its first competition. The team consisted of eight members from different counties. The competition focused on testing robots on a competitive field and learning how to score game elements into goals. The name of the game is Vex IQ Crossover. The Kenston Forest Robotics Team placed 11th out of 23 teams. Buchanan said his favorite part of the competition was “seeing the students learning different ideas and everyone having a chance to “play.”

The next robotics competition is Jan. 7, in Glen Allen.