About
Why the Pettit?
Milwaukee Montessori School, a private, independent day school in Milwaukee, has started a program called Wisconsin Drone Racing. But… why?!
Because at Milwaukee Montessori School, we like to call ourselves “tech-setters.”
In 2006, we introduced a paperless environment beginning in the 4th grade. Then, MMS became beta testers for Minecraft as they developed their EDU version. Next, the Educational Testing Service asked us to try their online testing program first before releasing it to all schools. Seeing our potential, Aleks Mathematics asked for our help as they worked to branch from university settings into K-8 school settings. And then, Toon Boom Animation, as well as nearly 20 other companies that knew we had the infrastructure and student capacity, needed to test their products and they asked us for our opinion!
Do you know why all of these tech companies asked us to test their products over the years?
Because they knew we were encouraging our students (who are bright, curious, and hardworking!) to use technology in ways that were ahead of the curve for every elementary and middle school in the nation.
And in 2022, MMS was caught tech-setting again!
Together with MultiGP, the largest professional drone racing league in the world, MMS organized the biggest and most unique indoor drone racing event ever here in Milwaukee!
but why...?
MMS has offered Drone Lab to students since 2019, and in that same year, we became the world champions in the international team competition that wrapped up in March of that year.
Our students worked incredibly hard to win that race and after seeing their excitement for competitive drone racing, we wanted to give them more opportunities to race here at home.
But we couldn’t find any leagues to enter! We quickly realized that schools around town thought the idea was awesome and they’d love to do it, but they didn’t have the funds, curriculum, or properly trained faculty.
So, we decided to create our own.
The ultimate dream for this new tech-setting venture is to build a local, middle school drone racing league by providing other schools with the curriculum, supplies, and funds to train faculty. And yep, you guessed it, this costs money!
Enter: Ice Storm Drone Racing Competition
As the event progresses throughout the years, we will be able to host tech companies and their workshops, as well as drone teams from our new league to compete in their own bracket.
But this year, we need to get the race off the ground (get it?) by focusing on recruiting famous and hobbyist drone pilots alike to enter the competition, win some big bucks for themselves, and come back to do it again year after year. Funds from the registrants and sponsors will help us create the first-ever middle-school drone racing league in Milwaukee!
None of this would be possible without the generous support of We Energies Foundation, Marshall Auto Body, the Kubiak Family, The Shafer Family, and S3Aero Defense.
We’re also grateful for the support of all MMS parents who let their students think outside of the box and try new activities at school with us each year!
Follow our drone competition adventures on our Ice Storm Facebook Page and Instagram Page.