Thanks to a significant investment from Teck Highland Valley Copper, students across the Kamloops‑Thompson School District (SD73) are gaining hands‑on experience with robotics, coding, and problem solving—skills that will support their learning today and into the future.

SD73 recently received a $20,550 grant from Teck Highland Valley Copper to support the Students Coding for the Future program. This funding has allowed the district to purchase 30 new LEGO Spike Prime Robotics kits, along with devices to program LEGO Mindstorm including 15 ASUS Chromebooks and three tech tubs. These new robotics kits will rotate through schools across the district, expanding access to high‑quality robotics learning for hundreds of students each year.

“A huge thank you to Teck Highland Valley Copper for this investment,” shared SD73 Technology Coordinator Elizabeth deVries. “We would still be working with our aging robotics kits without their support. This funding has allowed us to offer students better tools, better learning experiences, and far more opportunities to engage with robotics and coding.”

On Thursday, March 12, 2026, Mr. Geoff Gagnon’s Grade 6/7 class at Aberdeen Elementary School were the first students to work with the new LEGO Spike Prime Robotics kits.

Excitement filled the room as students eagerly unboxed the new robotics kits, carefully sorting, organizing, and labeling each piece before beginning to build their LEGO robots. Working in groups, students assembled and programmed the Driving Base 3 robot, which includes motors and colour sensors.

“I like seeing the final product after working on it,” one student shared, while another added, “It’s really fun because it’s a bunch of things in one—you get to build, you get to program, and you get to work together with friends.”

Many of the students were already familiar with the district’s older robotics kits and expressed excitement about the improvements in the new kits. “The old kits were fun, but I feel like these ones could be better,” one student shared. “I’m excited to see how these work.”

Robotics learning naturally encourages collaboration, creativity, and problem solving, offering something for every learner. Some students gravitated toward the hands‑on building process, while others were more excited about the coding and programming challenges.

“The learning is incredibly dynamic,” shared deVries. “Students not only design the code and the robot, they also design the application—thinking about what problem they want the robot to solve and how to make that happen.”

Using the LEGO Spike Prime Robotic kits, students can program robots to navigate mazes, avoid obstacles, respond to colour sensors, record audio, follow specific paths, solve certain problems, and more. Improved sensors, clearer displays, and upgraded tutorials make it easier for students to experiment and troubleshoot their design applications.

“Being able to fail and try again in a safe space is a huge part of the learning,” deVries explained. “Students don’t always realize how many skills they’re practicing—critical thinking, collaboration, perseverance—but you can see those skills building through this learning.”

Robotics learning aligns closely with BC’s Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies (ADST) curriculum, while also supporting learning across many other subject areas. Through coding and engineering challenges, students develop computational thinking, strengthen communication skills, and explore real‑world connections to technology‑driven industries.

Because robotics kits are costly, they can be difficult for individual schools—or families—to access. Organizing these kits at the district level and rotating them through different classrooms and schools to ensure students across the district have access reflects the district’s core value of Equity.

Each robotics kit will move through five classes per year, reaching approximately 450 students annually. With three kits now available, the program will support an additional 150 students across the district each year.

“Sometimes robotics programs are only offered outside school classrooms, and not every family can participate in those opportunities,” deVries said. “Because of Teck Highland Valley Copper’s support, this learning is happening right in classrooms, during the school day, so every student has an equal chance to participate.”

As Mr. Gagnon’s class continues working with the robotics kits over the coming weeks—before they move on to the next school—students will keep building, coding, testing, and problem solving.

Additionally, students in Ms. Regan's Grade 5/6/7 class at Savona Elementary and Ms. Miller's Grade 6/7 at Arthur Hatton Elementary are also now learning and working with brand new LEGO Spike Prime Robotic kits.

All if this is possible thanks to Teck Highland Valley Copper’s community partnership and investment in student learning.

“We are so grateful for this support,” shared deVries. “This investment is creating opportunities, inspiring students, and helping prepare the next generation for the future.”

Story provided by Chelsea Isenor, Director of Communications & Board Administration