Drone Racing Club
Davies has added to its roster of student activities this spring with the new Drone Racing Club! Spearheaded by the engineering teacher Phillip Campbell, the club aims to involve students in simulated and live drone racing. With sights set on competing across North Dakota, culminating in a state competition at NDSU in May, the club is guaranteed to make waves as the first of its kind in Fargo. I had the opportunity to interview Campbell to get an inside look into the creation of the club and its goals, which clearly showcased his commitment and passion for providing students with learning opportunities involved in drone racing.
What is Drone Racing Club and what does it entail?
“The Davies Drone Racing Club is a student activity that entails both simulated and live drone racing. The club will be competing against students across North Dakota each week leading up to a state competition at NDSU in May. The racing is based on indoor courses designed by the league administrator located in Grand Forks.”
What is Drone Racing? How does it work?
Drone racing is a combination of virtual racing and live racing. With both types of racing, a drone flier will operate their drone to complete three laps of an obstacle course that contains hoops, hurdles, pylons and other components to navigate around, through or under. They are timed events, so the lowest completion time the better.
What inspired the creation of this club? What went into its creation?
“The Davies Drone Racing Club is a new student activity that began this Spring after Fargo Public Schools received a grant for drones and software. Davies High School will be the first school in Fargo to participate in the program. The intent is to get students engaged in a drone competition platform that is quickly growing at the high school level across North Dakota and Minnesota.”
What do you hope students get out of this club?
“The intent for the Club is threefold: for students to gain knowledge and skill in drone operation and racing, for students to build confidence as they work to improve over the course of the competition season, and for students to further develop collaboration and teamwork skills as they compete for Davies.”
Do you have any goals for the club?
“We had a short amount of time to get started this Spring after receiving the grant for the drones. We currently have six students participating and we hope to increase the student participation significantly next year. Of course, we also hope to win the state competition in May!”
How can students interested join Drone Racing Club?
Students can join the Drone Racing Club in January when we begin the new season. We will have posters and announcements with the sign-up information each January.