In Shon Hargis' classroom at Herrin Elementary School, a child’s palm-sized robots zip across tables, changing colors, making sounds, and following paths created by young engineers-in-training through a new enrichment program called WinSTEM.

"My favorite part is when we get to make the codes because you can see the Ozobots go very fast or very slow or do like a U-turn or zigzag," explains third-grader Kaylor Wilson, demonstrating how the small, round robots respond to commands.

The WinSTEM program—an acronym for "What I Need in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math"—operates during the school's daily "WIN time," when students receive either additional academic support or enrichment activities. Small groups of second through fifth graders meet with Hargis, the school's media specialist, for about 45 minutes once a week during nine-week rotations.

"This is a true enrichment program versus a gifted program," Hargis explains. "The focus is on trying to include as many students as we can." Each quarter brings a different group of 10-15 students per grade level, selected by teachers who identify children who might benefit from hands-on STEM activities.

The program centers around Ozobots—small robots that can be programmed in two ways. Second graders primarily use color codes, drawing specific color sequences on paper that the robot reads and translates into actions. Third through fifth graders advance to computer programming using block coding connected via Bluetooth.

"It's like a tiny round bot on wheels," third-grader Gabby Moncino describes to those unfamiliar with the technology. "If you put like, color with blue, black, and red, then you can make codes and program them to move."

Fellow third-grader Jeremiah Doan prefers the computer interface: "My favorite part is when we got to use the computers because there's more stuff that you could do than the normal Ozobot, and you didn't have to physically interact."

The students learn troubleshooting when things don't go as planned. During one session, none of the Ozobots would read the pre-printed paths. After multiple attempts to calibrate the robots, Hargis eventually discovered the printer's toner was too light. "Sometimes things don't work right, and that's part of what we learn too," he says.

The program provides opportunities for students who might not typically qualify for advanced academic tracks. "It's an opportunity for students that maybe aren't straight-A students, but they have an affinity for mathematics or science," Hargis notes. "Sometimes those students get overlooked for more gifted-type programs."

Second-grader Harlyn Cowan lights up when talking about the robots' abilities: "They make fun sounds... they can be sad, they can be happy, they can be mad."

For third-grader Ryker Towns, watching the results of his work is the highlight: "My favorite part was probably learning the new codes and trying them out, and seeing them go all the different ways and stuff."

The program serves as a pipeline to other opportunities, including the school's Tech Tigers after-school program for fourth and fifth graders and summer enrichment courses. The Ozobots were purchased using ESSER funds provided after COVID, allowing the school to acquire three sets of 18 robots.

When asked if they'd be sad if the program went away, the students respond with an emphatic "yes."

"I would be sad because we don't get to come down here and do fun things anymore," Moncino explains. "Ozobots are really fun to play with, and you won't get to see them do their codes and spins and anything."

The skills students develop extend beyond robotics. The same coding principles apply to many technologies they encounter daily—from robotic vacuum cleaners at home to inventory robots they've spotted at local stores.

As third-grader Towns puts it while demonstrating a complex sequence: "This is more exciting than two plus two is four."