Gateway High’s robotics team is an established school fixture and one of Gateway’s longest running clubs, but they’re no longer the only roboticists on the scene. Thanks to an expanded partnership with the FIRST Robotics Program, Gateway Middle has its own robotics club for the very first time this year. Whereas the older students use shop materials and power tools to bring their robot creations to life, this new, younger cohort works in a different medium: the humble yet versatile LEGO brick.
“We weren’t sure if there would be enough student sign-ups to start a new club, but we got a ton,” said Heather Abrams, who coaches both the middle and high school teams with support from faculty and volunteers. “It’s been great to see how many students are interested starting at such a young age.”
Students meet in the GHS Impact Lab where each week, they focus on completing a different mission: building and programming a robot that can pull a lever or retrieve a small object and bring it back to its home base. The use of LEGOs allows students to go through a lot of design options quickly, without worrying about wasting materials or having to take apart a robot that doesn’t quite work.
“On the surface level, when they’re making robots students of course are learning both hardware and coding software skills, which is great,” said Heather. “But the real secret sauce is that working together on these projects means they have to communicate well, work through things when something doesn’t succeed the first time, ask for help, and work through feelings of frustration – all of which are even more important skills.”
While the older robotics students build robots primarily to enter in competitions against other school clubs, given the newness of the club and ongoing public health concerns, the GMS students are focused primarily on collaboration this year. Heather hopes to culminate the club’s activities with a family showcase where students can show off their favorite creations, based on a similarly successful event the high school club mounted last year when competitions were canceled during distance learning. Ultimately, however, the goal is for GMS students to be able to compete against their peers in the future.
“It’s a fun part of emulating that sports environment,” she said. “Sports are important to people of course, but realistically, less than one percent of student athletes are going to go pro. For robotics students, though? 100 percent of them are going to be able to take those skills and turn them into a meaningful career, if they choose.”
Interested in getting in on the robotic fun? The team is looking for adult volunteers to help support members and allow additional students to join, and will provide training – no special technical or robotics skills required! Contact [email protected] for more information.