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On July 1, 2026, Broward College’s Information Technology & Engineering department hosted the America 250 Drone Extravaganza at the Central Campus Gym. The event brought students, faculty, staff and guests together for an interactive celebration combining drone technology, computer programming, engineering, visual storytelling and patriotic history.
Created in recognition of the nation’s 250th anniversary, the experience challenged Broward College students to transform dozens of individual CoDrone EDU aircraft into one coordinated swarm. Through flight, synchronized lighting and music, students explored how technology can be used to create a shared moment of creativity and celebration.
The event began as a hands-on swarm intelligence lesson. Students worked in small teams to prepare groups of three, four or five drones, connect their controllers through multiport USB hubs and program them using Python.
Their first objectives were to:
Connect multiple drones as a swarm.
Program the drones to take off and land together.
Synchronize their LED lights.
Transition the LEDs through red, white and blue.
Prepare each team’s drones to contribute to a larger coordinated performance.
The handbook introduced students to both the hardware and software sides of drone operation, including controller setup, Python file creation, swarm commands, battery preparation and safe group operation.
The centerpiece of the event was an audience-facing 1776 formation representing the year of American independence.
A total of 65 drone positions were designed across four coordinated number groups. Students and instructors worked from assigned tables and drone ranges, allowing smaller teams to control individual portions of the larger display.
The formation was planned with:
Red, white and blue lighting.
Approximately three feet of planning space between drones.
Separate groups for each digit in “1776.”
Coordinated lighting, movement and finale sequences.
A safe return and landing sequence.
This transformed the event from a basic coding exercise into a collaborative production. Each team was responsible for a small part of the formation, but every group had to work together for the complete image to appear.
Students learned how multiple drones can receive coordinated commands and operate as a single system. Working in small groups made it possible for students to troubleshoot connections, compare code and support one another throughout the lesson.
The drones were programmed to transition through red, white and blue lighting. Students first tested their assigned drone groups before preparing the complete formation.
The program progressed from individual number demonstrations to the larger 1-7-7-6 concept. Lighting and flight were combined to show how programming, timing and physical placement work together in a live drone production.
The planned finale combined synchronized light and flight with Ray Charles’ rendition of “America the Beautiful,” connecting modern technology with a familiar expression of American history and culture.
The public program included a student Color Guard presentation and opening remarks led by Broward College representatives Robert Diaz and Brian Faris. The event concluded with closing remarks and an opportunity for students and guests to gather together.
The America 250 Drone Extravaganza demonstrated that a drone performance is not created by flight alone. It requires a combination of:
Programming
Students used Python and CoDrone EDU swarm commands to control multiple drones.
Engineering
Teams connected laptops, USB hubs, remote controllers, batteries and aircraft into working systems.
Mathematics and Geometry
The “1776” display required organized spacing, coordinate planning and accurate placement.
Visual Design
Color, formation, timing and audience perspective were treated as parts of the overall story.
Teamwork
Each student group managed only part of the swarm. The final concept depended on all teams contributing to one coordinated performance.
Event Production
Students experienced the preparation, testing, battery management, rehearsal and timing required to move a technical project from the classroom to a live audience.
The project was developed using CoDrone EDU aircraft, Python swarm programming and the custom-built Drone Show Studio platform.
Drone Show Studio was created as a browser-based environment for designing, visualizing, organizing, simulating and exporting drone light shows. For the America 250 project, it supported the planning of drone positions, team assignments, lighting sequences, storyboard scenes, flight presets and the “1776” formation.
The platform’s larger purpose is to make drone-show creation more accessible to schools, colleges, STEM programs, community organizations and small creative teams that may not have access to expensive commercial choreography software.
The event gave students the opportunity to move beyond watching a technology demonstration. They became part of the production process.
Students experienced how an idea can move through several stages:
Imagine → Design → Program → Test → Rehearse → Perform
That process introduced participants to skills connected to careers such as drone piloting, drone engineering, autonomous navigation, software development, flight-data analysis and technical event production. The Swarm Intelligence Engineering Handbook presented the activity within this broader connection between classroom learning and emerging drone-industry careers.
The America 250 Drone Extravaganza reflected the combined work of students, instructors, laboratory assistants, organizers and Broward College’s Information Technology & Engineering department.
Every connected controller, charged battery, line of Python, assigned drone and student team contributed to the larger vision. The project showed what becomes possible when education, technology, art and community come together around one shared goal.
The America 250 project served as both a celebration and a foundation for future innovation.
Lessons from the event will support continued development in:
Student drone and robotics education.
Swarm programming exercises.
Campus technology demonstrations.
Drone-show simulation and visualization.
Safe multi-drone coordination.
Music-synchronized performances.
Future patriotic, academic and community events.
What began as an ambitious “1776” drone concept has grown into a broader educational platform where students can learn not only how drones fly, but how technology can be used to communicate an idea, tell a story and create a moment of wonder.
The America 250 Drone Extravaganza celebrated the past by placing the future in the hands of students.
Through synchronized drones, patriotic light, Python programming and teamwork, Broward College students explored the intersection of history, creativity and emerging technology—one drone, one team and one line of code at a time.
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