![\"Battle](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/OBrayantt-Padilla-with-Mechanical-Robot.jpg\")
Russert praised the bot design of ninth-grader Kassandra Rodriguez, as a \u201cfunctional design\u201d that minimizes material, prints faster and will prove to be lightweight in operation.<\/p>\n
\u201cRobotics is very interesting,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cI really like it.\u201d She is in her first year at e3. She expressed possible interest in space robotics at NASA.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Brayantt Padilla, a junior from Lemon Grove, has been at the school for three years. He combines wide-ranging interests in computers and coding, as well as in fitness. \u201cI like robots so much too,\u201d Padilla said. Asked about possible career paths, Padilla discussed designing robotic prostheses.<\/p>\n
Tenth-grader Flor Ruiz agreed. \u201cRobotics is fun,\u201d she said. \u201cI like 3D printing, programming is cool too, but I need to get better at coding.\u201d<\/p>\n
On bot battle day, six teams of 30 competitors tested their robotics designs for best time navigating the maze, best time in the road race, and fastest team relay race time. Additionally, the quickest programming time was another among the battle day contests.<\/p>\n
Padilla took a brief moment from bot team captain duties to describe the day\u2019s activities. \u201cThe team-building was a real surprise today. That was enjoyable,\u201d Padilla said. \u201cMembers of the team were really shy at first because they didn\u2019t know each other. Working on the robots brought them together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aside from the contests, bot battle attendees had the opportunity to experiment with coded drones. Learning facilitator Stephen Cerruti demonstrated the block programming that controls the drone maneuvers, and he flew one device around his classroom, hovering and landing the drone.<\/p>\n
Located in the San Diego Central Library building Downtown, e3 Civic High School indeed does education differently, encouraging civic involvement in projects relevant to Downtown San Diego. That e3 stands for \u201cengage.educate.empower.\u201d The school describes its educational mission as, “Preparing scholars to become future-ready\u2026” School attendees, elsewhere known as students, are dubbed \u201cscholars\u201d at e3. Each scholar is provided a MacBook Air laptop. What other schools call teachers are referred to as \u201clearning facilitators.\u201d The e3 leader is not called the school\u2019s principal. Dr. Helen V. Griffith is the e3 chief executive officer\/executive director. This background in psychological support may have demonstrated positive effects, because the school has a 100 percent graduation rate. Core and elective courses are all college preparatory level, for ninth through 12th grades. To date, 76 percent of graduates continue on to college. The approximately 400 scholars are drawn from throughout San Diego County, with most coming from within a 10-mile radius of the school.<\/p>\n