The San Antonio-area teacher was amazed by the teamwork, engagement and drone-flying skills the teens developed during the project.
"I had other students that I had never seen look at the drones and be like, 'Oh, this is so cool,' " she said. "So then that got my thoughts spinning ... How can I open this up for even more people?"
She is now petitioning the University Interscholastic League to add drone racing as an academic competition for any Texas high school students who wish to participate. Sanctioning the activity would make it more uniform and help schools get funding, she said.
The Somerset High School STEM teacher was invited to give a presentation in mid-October at the organization's annual legislative council meeting, where members consider proposals from the public about new activities or rule changes.
The league oversees extracurricular contests for schools in Texas, including sports, robotics and marching band. The most recent sport sanctioned by the UIL was water polo, which kicked off its inaugural season in August after getting approved in 2019.
In October, the council will vote on proposals from the public, including Dunegan's request, and then send them to the education secretary for final approval, according to the league.
If approved, a pilot drone competition would be added to the state's academic programs beginning next August, according to Dunegan's proposal. The first contest would be held in spring 2023 for high school students in any district that wishes to participate.
Drone racing involves participants navigating through obstacle courses with drones. Dunegan said it helps kids learn about mechanical engineering, software engineering, physics and algebra as well as teamwork, innovation and critical thinking.
Although it remains a fledgling sport, some people compete at a professional level. The Drone Racing League holds international competitions in which pilots control drones equipped with cameras to navigate a complex race course.
For now, Dunegan is working to drum up interest around Texas to back up her proposal to the UIL.
She has spoken with teachers, administrators and drone enthusiasts in districts near San Antonio and Austin, she said, so far garnering interest from roughly 150 schools. She is holding a meet-and-greet on Sept. 24 at Somerset High School.
Many of the schools already use drones for science or multimedia classes and clubs, she said, but they lack direction, uniformity and organized competition.
"That's why I want to petition UIL — they will make it more standardized, more defined, more uniform," she said.
Sanctioning would also lend the activity credibility and make it easier for schools to purchase drones and fund the activity, Dunegan said.
The drones that Dunegan introduced to her class last year, for example, were purchased by her husband.
Houston is home to a number of drone clubs for students, though programs are not yet widespread.
"The drone concept is still in its infancy," said Sulaimon Haulcy, Sr., a middle school STEM teacher in Houston. "We're working on something totally new right here."
Haulcy runs an after-school STEM program that allows low-income students to participate in robotics and drone activities.
His students have participated in drone competitions hosted by the Harris County Department of Education and Booker T. Washington High School in which they tackled real-world missions like surveying a disaster area or assessing crops.
"The kids actually love to fly drones because it reminds them of a video game," Haulcy said.
The Holland Middle School STEM teacher said he thinks it would be a great idea to incorporate drones into the UIL activity roster because it would expand the opportunity to more students.
"They actually get to get hands on," he said. "How many students actually get to fly a drone?"
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