Robot(ic)s Taking Over The School

    Robots are running wild at Britton-Hecla High School! While that might be a slight exaggeration, a robot and its creators are making news at the school recently. The B-H robotics class are in competition season and a couple of weeks ago, saw their biggest success yet.
    Robotics as a class at B-H started a decade ago when the school beefed up their Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum. Jennifer Carlson, who teaches the class, explains that then administrator Shad Storley helped institute that curriculum. “Robotics class satisfies the students’ requirement for a CTE credit as part of their high school credit progression,” said Carlson.
    The teacher notes that the class has had anywhere between three and twelve students through the years. This year, the class has four students: Oliver Moeckly, Jerod Nebrida, Braydon Casey, and Braun Kadoun. Carlson said that from the first day of class, these students have been working together to build a robot. 
    “Typically, the kids have the entire first semester to design, build and program a functioning robot,” said Carlson. The ultimate goal is to build a robot that they will enter in competitions. “Class size is what determines how many robots are built in class.  This year, all four boys are working on one machine.  In the past, two to four kids are assigned to a team.”
    “At the start of the year, the kids and I decide what the robot must do,” explained Carlson.  “They are then given a box of parts and told to ‘make it happen.’  Then, I sit back and watch the magic show.  It’s amazing to see the results.”
    The students all have found the class to be enjoyable and particularly enjoy working together. Casey emphasized, “I find that the class not only is a fun activity, but it also helps us learn to work better as a team.” 
    Kadoun and Nebrida echoed that sentiment. “I would say that the reason I find robotics fun is because of the guys that I get to do it with, and I enjoy seeing all the things that a robot can do,” said Kadoun. “I feel as though we all work really good together and all of our skills really compliment each other’s.”  
    “For me, about 65% of the fun is hanging out with friends and interacting with other teams from other schools. The rest is creating a truly functional robot,” stated Nebrida.
     As competition time draws near, the students will often choose to work extra hours after school, added Carlson. “They have even been known to come in and work over Christmas break,” she stated. This dedication can give them a leg up even as they compete against schools that have robotics clubs in their towns and multiple years of robotics under their belts. 
    The B-H Robotics students typically compete in three tournaments per season. “Competition location is our greatest limiting factor.  Most competitions are over three hours away.  This year, the boys have competed at Groton and Valley City,” said their teacher. 
    The weekend before last, the team, known as “Import Random” headed up to Valley City for a competition. At such a competition, the team uses their robot to perform in a game. “There is a game that changes every year,” explained Moeckly.  “Each game has different elements and scoring methods.” Teams can score points by making their robot perform in certain ways, including moving autonomously using code rather than a driver and negotiating ‘triballs,’ triangular-shaped balls, in the field of play. 
    Throughout the competition, the team must continuously think on their feet and improvise, said Nebrida. Kadoun added, “We definitely learn to deal with adversity. In Valley City, our robot’s scissor lift and firing apparatus got bent to where it caused a few issues and we had to find a way to overcome that and continue to win matches.”
    When the dust settled at Valley City, the B-H robot warriors took home second place, their best finish yet. 
    “We were very pleased with how our robot did and we all were really excited on how well we were doing with our new pushing attachment,” said Kadoun. “With how well everything was going on Saturday, there were smiles all across the board. I also feel that we were all a little surprised but satisfied because of how much time we spent trying to get our robot to be the most versatile robot on the playing field and we were all really pleased by that.”
    Through building their robot and competing at a high level, the students acknowledge that they are learning more than just engineering skills. Moeckly explained, “The big draw for robotics is the vast number of talents that are used. In a single tournament we use speaking, engineering, coding, driving, and networking skills. Using all these skills, we are able to see our robot come to completion, even if the work is never really done.”
    The team will now spend the next four weeks getting ready  for the State Vex Championships in Harrisburg on Feb. 24.  “This is a period of refinement work,” said Carlson. “Their robot already does what they want it to. They simply spend this time making it work better.”
    The team is optimistic about their chances at state. Moeckly stressed, “I think that everything we learned from last year along with our strong and experienced team will allow us to be a team to be reckoned with at state.”
    No matter how they do at state, their teacher is more than proud of what her robot-builders have accomplished. Carlson emphasized, “The kids that are drawn to a class like this are incredibly self-motivated.  It is also worth noting that not every kid that takes this class majors in engineering.  This is a class for a kid that loved Legos as a child, kids that like to tinker and figure out how things work.  This is truly one of the best classes I teach.”