It’s the last roundup for two La Jolla eighth-grade robotics teams that have students who have been together since elementary school and are trying to make the most of their last year before moving on to what in some cases will be different high schools.
When schools were closed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring, some of the eventual Rhyme and Reason members approached their parents about starting a speech and debate team to supplement their intellectual stimulation. The parents, in turn, reached out to Azzam, a San Diego State University communications major, and formed a small pod that would meet in members’ backyards, in masks and with chairs spaced apart.