Wisconsin Life

The robots being built on Washington Island

[whistling]

Miranda Dahlke: I say I’m from Wisconsin, but then when we dig deeper, I just have to say I’m in the middle of Lake Michigan. [laughs]

[upbeat music]

I’m Miranda Dahlke, and I teach science exclusively, essentially, here on Washington Island. As well as a STEM elective for middle school.

Tim Verboomen: There’s six miles of water between us and the mainland, and the ferry operations just make it impossible for our students to attend school anywhere else other than here.

So obviously, when we look at our data… You’re in the same building, just over 60 kids from 4K through 12.

All the kids pretty much know each other, so we like to say they end up acting like a family.

And I have little visitors.

Student: I’m a little, I’m a big kid. [Miranda laughs]

Miranda: Your seatbelt is stuck. [students laugh]

What I try to do with the different programs that we do and bringing in all these different activities is I try to give them a realistic idea of other careers that aren’t just owning a business or being part of a family business up here.

Student 1: I was the structural engineer.

Student 2: I was the electrical engineer.

Student 3: I was the mechanical engineer.

Miranda: Totally awesome if you wanna go run your family’s business. We need that, obviously. But my goal is to try to connect anything that we do extra or bonus or anything that they’re getting involved in, if I can tie it to a career or potential idea of, like, you could do this for a living.

Tim: And she’s fantastic with that. So whether it’s SeaPerch or the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow or the robotics stuff that we’re doing here, we’ve got a STEM rotational. The opportunities that brings our students, especially, like, some of those things are all water related, and being here on the island, it’s just a really cool connection.

Miranda: The reason why the robotics program, I think, is so successful with our students is because the kids take so much ownership of it.

Student: This is where we get to practice the agility of our ROVs.

Miranda: So their ROVs might have to pick up, lift, unlock, you know, drag, do a bunch of different tasks. But they, every year, have to design their ROV to do that the best. We’ve competed within the county, gone to regionals, and then we have sent teams to internationals, and they’re there to win. Like, that is the whole purpose of it.

[upbeat music]

We are a force to be reckoned with. We have heard people whispering about Washington Island.

Student: For internationals, you go to Maryland to compete internationally against a bunch of kids from different parts of the world.

[upbeat music]

I actually have friends that are from New Zealand that I met there, and there’s people from China and a bunch of places all over the world.

Producer: So what do you tell them about where you’re from?

Student: We kinda say that we’re from a small island. Usually, they think it’s tropical or something.

And then you say, there’s a little island, there’s actually, like, several little islands. There’s one that’s called Washington Island. I’m from nowhere, but it’s a wonderful place with a wonderful community.

Student: When I was a kid, I used to say I wanted to be a bunch of different things, but the past few years, I’ve stuck with wanting to be a marine biologist.

Student: I’m interested in going into robotic engineering, and that’s definitely influenced by being able to do SeaPerch, which Mrs. Dahlke allowed us to do. So I have to thank her for letting me be able to experience something like that.

Student: I kinda put her as, like, a fun teacher.

Student: I know people around the world, their science teachers are probably really cool, but Mrs. Dahlke brings so many opportunities and fun stuff for us to learn.

Student: So many opportunities for us students and this school to continue growing. She really is passionate about it.

Miranda: Like, they don’t just need to read from a science textbook. I want them to actually engage with nature or solder something together. [laughs]

[bell rings]

If I am not that way, how can I expect my students to be that way?

[indistinct conversation]