Santa Maria Students Compete in Coast Fusion Robotics Event

Middle schoolers in Santa Maria turned Saturday into a celebration of problem-solving, coding, and creative engineering at the Coast Fusion Robotics Invitational.

Students from Santa Maria-Bonita School District and Paso Robles Joint Unified School District gathered at Tommie Kunst Junior High School on January 24. The competition challenged teams to program robots that could tackle a series of puzzles in a Mix and Match game format.

But the event was about more than just winning. Students also presented their engineering notebooks to judges, walking them through every step of their design process and explaining the coding logic behind their robot's movements.

Pedro Garcia IV, the robotics lead for Santa Maria-Bonita School District, described the invitational as an opportunity for local students to demonstrate their newfound skills. "It's hands on learning that we all love," he shared, emphasizing how the competition brings the engineering design process to life.

The event gave students real-world experience in skills that go far beyond the classroom. By explaining their work to judges, young engineers practiced communication and critical thinking alongside technical abilities.

The Ripple Effect

Robotics competitions like this one are preparing students for careers that don't even exist yet. When kids learn to code, troubleshoot mechanical problems, and present their ideas clearly, they're building confidence that extends into every area of their lives.

The collaboration between two school districts also shows how communities can expand opportunities by working together. Instead of competing for resources, Santa Maria and Paso Robles joined forces to give more students access to hands-on STEM learning.

These middle schoolers are getting a head start on skills that employers desperately need. As technology continues to reshape every industry, the ability to think like an engineer becomes more valuable every year.

Saturday's competition reminded everyone watching that the future is in capable hands.