We are proud to highlight our November Educator of the Month, Brittney Blackwell, a leader whose work reflects a deep commitment to making STEM accessible, empowering, and community-centered.
“My journey into STEM leadership began with a desire to transform learning experiences for students who often don’t see themselves represented in STEM careers,” Brittney shares. “As a former NCMS student and now the school’s Magnet Specialist, I felt called to create the type of innovative learning environment I wished I had growing up. This motivated me to take on a STEM coordinator/leader role where I could empower teachers, cultivate partnerships, design student-centered experiences, and ensure our community had access to high-quality STEM education.”
“Since implementing LocoRobo, we have seen a noticeable increase in student engagement, inquiry, female engineers, and confidence in STEM.”
Her drive to build meaningful opportunities has shaped the school’s direction and strengthened its identity. “Helping our school earn Cognia STEM Certification solidified my dedication to this work and reaffirmed the impact of intentional, inquiry-based learning.”
Meeting Challenges with Confidence and Support
One of Brittney’s earliest challenges was building teacher confidence with STEM-integrated instruction, a shift that required time and thoughtful coaching. “Many early-career teachers were accustomed to traditional teaching methods and were initially hesitant to integrate hands-on, inquiry-based STEM practices,” she explains. Encouraging them to embrace new approaches meant supporting them at every step.
“Encouraging them to shift from direct instruction to more student-centered approaches such as robotics challenges, engineering design tasks, and drone-based problem solving, requires intentional coaching and consistent modeling alongside state testing school and district initiatives.”
Brittney knew that empowering teachers would ultimately empower students, and that both needed the right guidance and tools to thrive.
Why LocoRobo
As the school introduced drone education and K12 robotics, Brittney and her team faced understandable obstacles. “Our staff initially faced obstacles with navigating new technology, managing classroom setups, and ensuring alignment with standards-based instruction,” she recalls.
LocoRobo quickly became a key partner. “LocoRobo’s curriculum, tools, and support quickly helped close these gaps especially among our computer science teachers as well as within core content classes. Their platform provided a clear structure, real-world applications, and user-friendly lesson sequences that allowed teachers to feel confident and students to feel empowered.”
When technical questions came up, support was immediate. “The professional support from LocoRobo also ensured we could troubleshoot quickly and focus on high-quality learning and not just on ‘making the technology work.’”
Implementation Across the School
Brittney led the integration of LocoRobo across multiple layers of the school’s STEM ecosystem. “We integrated LocoRobo into our STEM program by weaving drone and robotics lessons into our Project-Based Learning tasks, enrichment pathways, afterschool enrichment clubs, and summer bridge.”
Professional development played a major role in building teacher confidence. “Teachers received hands-on professional development tailored to their comfort level, which made implementation smooth and sustainable. The technical support, troubleshooting guidance, and refreshers from the LocoRobo team were extremely valuable.”
Through this collaborative approach, teachers began seeing firsthand the impact of hands-on STEM learning on student engagement and leadership.
The Impact: Engagement, Confidence, and Representation
“Since implementing LocoRobo, we have seen a noticeable increase in student engagement, inquiry, female engineers, and confidence in STEM.”
Students who once hesitated now embrace new challenges. “Students who were previously hesitant now take academic risks, collaborate more effectively, and demonstrate genuine excitement for engineering and problem-solving.”
With new opportunities available, students are beginning to imagine futures they had never considered. “LocoRobo has opened doors for students to explore aviation, coding, robotics, and real-world STEM pathways that they had never considered before. It has directly supported our schoolwide STEM goals by strengthening our hands-on programming, enriching PBL experiences, and expanding access to cutting-edge tools that prepare students for future careers.”
Aha! Moments That Bring Everyone Together
One defining moment for Brittney captured the heart of her school community. “One of the most powerful ‘Aha!’ moments happened during our schoolwide STEM is Lit Showcase, where students, teachers, parents, and community guests all had the opportunity to learn how to code using various LocoRobo products such as LocoScout, LocoDrone, and LocoXtreme.”
Many guests came in unsure and even a bit nervous. “Many of our guests, including several parents, came in unsure of what to expect and openly admitted they had never coded before. Our students eagerly stepped into the role of teachers, guiding adults and younger students through the process of writing simple programs to control drones and robots.”
Then came the moment no one will forget. “The unforgettable moment came when a parent successfully coded a LocoRobo robot to complete a full movement sequence and the entire table erupted with excitement. The parent shouted, ‘I did it!’ while the student proudly responded, ‘See? You’re a coder now!’”
The experience was equally powerful for teachers. “At the same time, our 6th grade teachers had their own breakthrough as they watched their students explain coding concepts with clarity and pride. Several teachers later shared that it was the first time they truly saw how empowering hands-on STEM tools could be not just for learning, but for building student leadership.”
That single showcase became a milestone for the entire community. “That showcase became a defining moment for our community. Everyone in the room—students, families, educators, and partners—walked away believing in the power of STEM and seeing firsthand how accessible, exciting, and transformative coding can be when supported by the right tools and curriculum.”
