Zacc Hutchings, Jeremy Shidler, and Kevin Bachman troubleshoot problems with their robot after school during a meeting. Photo By: Kennedy Shnieders
By Kennedy Schnieders
The occasional whine of a straining motor and a distinct metallic clink accompany the multitude of excited voices emanating from room 139 most days until late after school.
The advent of the 2013-14 school year brought with it many changes to Plymouth High School and what it offers for students to get a step up on life. One of the most notable additions was that of a competitive robotics team. According to Mr. Schieber, the designated teacher and coach of the team, the robotics team will be a great avenue for students to learn science, technology, engineering, and math(STEM) concepts while having a great time in a friendly competition environment. Mr. Schieber stated that he pushed for the creation of a team “upon coming to Plymouth High School and finding that there were some young men doing Vex robotics independently.” He hoped to make this opportunity available to more students within the school system. So far there are “between 25-30 students involved in the robots club.” Club member and junior Matt Feece stated that the club receives their parts from Vex Robotics, who also oversees the annual tournaments around the globe.
The very notion of a robot-a steampunk style mechanical contraption operating on its own-draws students in. Sophomore Zacc Hutchings claims that he was inspired to join the robotics team because he wanted to “try something new” that would benefit him in the future. Many students found similar inspiration; however, other students wanted to put a previously learned skill into practice or just find out what exactly a robotics club does. Freshman Jordan Morrow stated that he wanted to learn more about robotics through the club, while junior Kevin Bachman joined because he likes to “work with robotics and RC cars.” Senior Taylor Scott remarked that he had “always been interested in robotics, and the club just seemed like a good outlet.” Despite the variety of reasons to join the club, there seems to be a common consensus: Almost all students agree that they will benefit greatly from the experience as a whole.
By actively participating in the activities of the robotics club, students will acquire valuable skills that could aid them in their futures. The club allows students to utilize their critical thinking skills to solve complex problems by using the math and science that they have already learned in school; the club gives students seeking a challenge a real-life outlet to apply their knowledge. According to Mr. Schieber, students will have to “rely on their knowledge of math and physics while designing and building their robots.” Both Bachman and Hutchings concur that one of the most prominent skills they have already begun to acquire from the club is learning to accept ideas other than their own, and to work with others. All students in the club must learn to work well with one another in order to successfully complete a robot that will be competitive in this year’s competition.
Senior Spencer Uyhelji announced that the 2013-14 Vex Robotics Competition is known as, “Toss Up.” According to Morrow, the competition consists of “scoring points by throwing and moving balls to a certain area[of the game field].” He also stated that their robots are being designed to hang and maneuver over bumps on the field. The team meets almost every Thursday after school; however, Scott’s team, who started two weeks late, meets almost every day after school in an attempt to catch up with the other teams. In the early stages of the design process, Hutchings stated, nobody has a very specific role; everyone is involved in the brainstorming process. Morrow, however, asserted that the “two main roles are the builders and the programmer.” These two roles will become more distinguished as the design process progresses.
Spencer Uyhelji busily writes code for his team’s robot in preparation for testing. Photo By: Kennedy Shnieders
By actively participating in the activities of the robotics club, students will acquire valuable skills that could aid them in the future. The club allows students to solve complex problems by using the math and science that they have already learned in school; the club gives students seeking a challenge a real-life outlet to apply their knowledge. Scott pointed out that before the inclusion of a competitive robotics team “PHS had a lot of clubs, but really nothing along these lines.” Most students agree that because of this, the robotics team is an important addition to PHS. Uyhelji believes that, “it is very rare to see students come in after school, at least fifteen per meeting, and actually enjoy learning and working together towards a common goal.” Morrow also accepts that the team is an integral part of giving students a hands-on opportunity to learn how to work well with others, which is a practical skill to learn in preparation for a real-world job.
In all, the addition of a competitive robotics team to PHS could be of great benefit: It gives students an opportunity to utilize their critical thinking skills on a project that some might find enjoyable, they will learn a wide assortment of new skills that they can put to use in the real world, and, most importantly, students will learn how to work well in a group. The robotics team will help to prepare students in PHS even more for the real world, by allowing them to use the skills that they have been learning in school.