Orange, CA – June 1, 2019 – Students from eight schools representing five districts from three counties competed for “air superiority” in the annual iInspire Drone Invitational at California Elementary School. This was the culminating event to Orange Unified School District’s Drone League. 

The standing-room-only event was packed with excited spectators.  Handy and California Elementary Schools from Orange Unified tied for first place in the fourth grade competition.  Macy Elementary School  from the Lowell Joint School District had the honor of winning the fifth grade competition, and Walnut Elementary School from the La Habra City School District won the sixth grade competition.

Students engaged in three events.  The Coding Integration Challenge involved teams of students coding their drone “on the fly” out of a three dimensional maze.  The Integration Challenge involved a team of students presenting a culmination of the research they conducted this year on how drones provide solutions to real world problems.  The finale involved teams Free Flying their drone around a square track for time. 

OUSD Drone League is an innovative way to get students excited about and engaged in coding.  Over the past eight months, students have been learning to code drones utilizing the  SWIFT Playground coding language.  SWIFT Playground is the precursor to learning X Code, the language utilized for App Development. 

The utilization of drones is emerging in the areas of transportation, entertainment, agriculture, and public safety.  In addition, the App development and coding market continue to grow at astonishing rates. Proving these innovative opportunities for students connects them to career pathways and fosters invaluable teaming and communication skills necessary for the modern world. 

Schools interested in joining the OUSD Drone League and competing in the iInspire Drone Invitational for next year may contact California Elementary Principal John Albert, Ed.D. at jalbert@orangeusd.org.