Innovation, Trade and Rural Development
February 10, 2011

Harbour Grace School to Use Funding to Enhance Program

Building on its track record for success at international robotics competitions, St. Francis School in Harbour Grace is enhancing its robotics program with support from the Provincial Government. With the $20,000 investment, students will design and build Lego robots and have them complete a series of tasks in a Lego version of the ocean floor. Students will then construct an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV).

“Dating back a number of years, students at St. Francis School have excelled at a high level at international competitions,” said the Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development. “Led by some exceptional staff that help facilitate innovation and creativity among students, St. Francis School is now expanding its robotics program to develop an underwater ROV that can be used in a real-world setting.

“This experience will also bode well for students as they grow older and potentially seek work at local companies that are heavily involved with using and improving the overall effectiveness of ROVs in marine environments across the globe.”

St. Francis School attracts over 100 students a year to its robotics program that is a seven-time provincial Lego robotics champion and represented the province at the International Lego Robotics Competition in Georgia the last seven years. In addition to constructing an underwater ROV, it will operate a video diary that will capture the complete design process and broadcast it via the Internet to other schools for instruction purposes and feedback.

“Students will design and build an underwater ROV and perform in a competition in late March,” said Norman Littlejohn, Technology Education teacher, St. Francis School. “As they work through the design process, they will also develop a resource for other junior high schools who may be interested in developing an underwater program. The initiative will help students develop problem solving and critical skills as they complete their tasks. They will additionally have the opportunity to develop skills in video production, presentation, and communication. It is shaping up to be an exciting project.”

The investment was funded under a fall 2010 call for proposals seeking innovative learning experiences for young people. The call for proposals was issued through the Provincial Government’s innovation strategy, Innovation Newfoundland and Labrador: A Blueprint for Prosperity, which identified support for youth as an essential element in creating a culture of innovation in the province.

“There’s been an exceptional robotics team at St. Francis lead by Norman Littlejohn and other staff members for a number of years,” said the Honourable Jerome Kennedy, Minister of Health and Community Services and MHA for Carbonear-Harbour Grace. “They have been successful on the provincial, national and international stages and the staff and students are to be commended for their continued commitment to excellence in this field.”

St. Francis School is among the close to 30 proponents that have received support totalling more than $400,000 through the Provincial Government’s call for proposals. Those eligible for support are not-for-profit organizations, schools in the Kindergarten to Grade 12 system, post-secondary educational institutions, youth organizations, industry organizations, and regional economic development boards.

Launched in 2006, Innovation Newfoundland and Labrador: A Blueprint for Prosperity has served as the Provincial Government’s framework to stimulate a culture of innovation across traditional and knowledge-driven industries. In addition to a focus on youth, the strategy has also served as the foundation for a broad range of initiatives geared towards increasing the province’s telecommunications capacity, developing Oceans of Opportunity – a five-year strategy focused on accelerating the growth of the ocean technology sector, and creating a human genetics research facility at Memorial University.

- 30 -

Media contacts:

2011 02 10                                                        11:45 a.m.