Students combine STEM, sports in target practice game

Elementary school students in San Mateo got some face time with an NFL player Wednesday after four of them won a coding contest.

Nearly 70 students at Browning-Pearce Elementary School spoke with Jonathan Jones, a defensive back with the New England Patriots, via Zoom, where they demonstrated the game their classmates created as part of their science, technology, engineering and math curriculum.

Bethanny Robinson, 11, Vianca Vazquez, 12, Keily Mendez, 12, and Taryn Herndon, 11, won the Unruly Splats coding contest with a game that focuses on incorporating sports, STEM and target practice. The objective of the game is to hit the Splats, computerized targets that have been attached to the wall, with whatever type of sports ball the user chooses.

Becky Bennett, the physical education and STEM teacher who instructs the winners and their classmates, said she was proud of her pupils for being her third set of Unruly Splats winners. Previous winners had their Splats on the floor, she said, but this year’s winners decided to move things around as they charged their way to victory.

“My kids took them off the floor and put them on the wall,” Bennett said. “That’s how they thought outside the box and on the wall.”

Jones watched as the winning students and Bennett threw a basketball, football, tennis ball, soccer ball and volleyball at the targets. Bennett said students found the game more exciting than they normally would because they got to play something their colleagues designed.

Incorporating students’ interests into STEM curricula has resulted in an increased interest in those fields, she said.

“To get kids involved in STEM, we found out PE was the easiest way,” Bennett said. “The kids code the game, and they play. … It’s just a way for you to get better and train using a system they programmed.”

Keily said her motivation for contributing to the group project was to help her classmates improve their physical and mental health.

A basketball enthusiast, Keily said her mood improves when she is outside, so she wanted to encourage others to find the same peace.

“We wanted a game to let them have fun and improve in their sport,” she said. “Getting outside and doing that will get you in a better mindset.”

News of their win surprised Taryn, who didn’t think the San Mateo school would fare well in a competition with other schools.

Still, she was glad to see her love of soccer translate to a win off the field.

“I was really shocked,” Taryn said. “I didn’t really expect it. We didn’t think it was that big of a thing because we were competing against different schools.”

Vianca, another soccer lover, wasn’t at school the day the sixth graders learned they’d won, but her teammates informed her of the good news via text message, she said.

She was excited to meet Jones to show off how she blows off steam.

“I don’t actually play sports, but I used to play soccer,” Vianca said. “I just like the ability to go outside in the fresh air and get my mind off things.”

The three students agreed Bethanny was the driving force behind the sports-inspired STEM project, seeing as she’s the biggest sports enthusiast of the bunch.

Bethanny said she wanted to work on something she enjoyed, and she hopes it encourages others to get involved in sports.

“I’m an athlete myself, so I was thinking of something that would help other athletes,” she said. “I thought it was really fun. I love sports, and it’s something I really want to do.”

Jones, who answered questions about topics ranging from his favorite NFL team other than the Patriots to his STEM interests, told students about his love of aviation. He has his pilot’s license and said he’d love to pursue that endeavor on a more full-time basis after his football career ends.

He encouraged the students to pursue their passions, especially the ones that involve STEM subjects.

“Find someone who’s already doing what you want to do and just repeat their footsteps,” Jones said. “Ask them so many questions. Don’t be afraid to annoy them honestly because you need to find those answers.”

Lorena Dominey, the Putnam County School District’s STEM coach and resource teacher, said STEM activities students do in class will help them once they enter the working world.

The four winners have already made great strides in the STEM field, Dominey said, as their game will be available to play on the Splats app.

Conducting those STEM assignments in fun, interactive ways helps students, especially those who might normally have difficulty with those subjects, get a better grasp on the lessons and activities than if they were to learn them in a more traditional instructional method, she said.

“All of this is fun for the kids, and they don’t realize they’re learning,” Dominey said. “They’re using all the core subjects in STEM.”