With real-world problem solving skills and emerging tech, middle schoolers prepare for the future 

Complicated problem: Thinking like scientists and engineers, they were asked to solve the issue of underwater pollution in the Pacific Ocean. Working together first in pairs and then as a group, students programmed robots to forage for plastics and other garbage — a step towards solving a complex, here-and-now issue. Projects like these, which combine solutions-oriented thinking with emerging technology, are the types of challenges that Vista Academy students tackle in the Verizon Innovative Learning Lab program. The Lab program offers a tech-infused curriculum in custom-designed, state-of-the-art facilities at schools nationwide. The curriculum is designed to foster tech skills alongside real-world applications of the tech.

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