BRIDGEWATER – Two robots stare each other down with unblinking eyes; their only goal is to kick the other out of the green fight ring and become The Last Bot Standing in the Battle of the Bots. The cheers of the small crowd are electric as one bot is pushed out and the other crowned winner.
This scene is a familiar one at iCode, a new learning center that opened Saturday on Prince Rodgers Avenue, where kids and teens can build and program robots, video games and more while learning critical STEM skills, time management, teamwork, presentation and communication skills.
The Bridgewater location is the first iCode in Somerset County and is owned and operated by local resident Kalash Keote, and his wife and co-founder, Sangeeta Gupta.
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“I’ve got 13-year-old twins and I started looking for a STEM program that would keep them engaged,” explained Keote.
He said they didn’t find anything in the area that could both keep kids engaged and also had a solid, fun, instructor-led curriculum, so they saw the opportunity, after discovering the Dallas-based iCode company, and started a franchise of their own.
This program is approved by industry experts, and it is continuously revamped so kids and teens can learn techniques on technology that is always up to date.
Keote and Gupta both come from a long background of IT experience and know that to compete in the future – especially with the rise of AI technologies – it’s important for you to build skills at a young age.
“If you are exposed to a wide range of technology at a younger age, your mind kind of is tuned to that kind of thinking and you can adapt to any changes that come in the workforce in the future,” said Keote.
Kids and teens ages 6-15 can look forward to participating in the iCode Belt Program which is martial arts inspired, with students going up in belt ranking and learning different aspects of coding or other STEM skills. There also is a Path Program for ages 8-18, which is a three- to four-month single-topic focused curriculum, like learning how to program games like Roblox or Minecraft. There’s also an Anytime Program, which is more flexible and teaches kids how to develop their own videogame.
iCode also offers STEM and coding camps in summer, spring break or during other school holidays. These vary from coding or modding video games, pitching products on Shark Tank, coding drones, learning the basics of YouTube video production, Virtual Reality programming, robotics, digital animation, web development and more.
The company is also collaborating with local schools to bring STEM education directly to schoolchildren, starting with the Angelo L. Tomaso Elementary School in Warren. iCode brings its curriculum and equipment to the schools and teaches them. They also have a digital arts course as part of an after-school program. They will also be bringing their program to the Somerset County Library system.
In the future, Keote and Gupta hope to start an E-sports Gaming League, with competitions within and also between different campuses all across the country.
But for now, they are running free trial classes and camps so people of all ages can experience it for themselves.
“Come experience it for yourself,” said Keote. “See how we are different and I’m sure you will love it here.”
If you go
Bridgewater iCode
Where: 1327 Prince Rodgers Ave.
Contact: 908-300-3110, icodeschool.com/bridgewater
Email: alewis@gannett.com
Alexander Lewis is an award-winning reporter and photojournalist whose work spans many topics. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription.
