K-W students learn teamwork, tech skills through robotics team | News

The robots, however, are very real, and designed by high school students, including a team from Kenyon-Wanamingo High School. The 18-member team will compete for the regional title alongside hundreds of others at the University of Minnesota’s Mariucci Arena on March 29. 

Before competition, the Knights FIRST Robotics team (nicknamed the “Bots in Shining Armor” spent weeks designing, building and programming the robot from donated and repurposed parts. Like many school teams, the Knights felt the pressure of missed practice and work time lost to snow days, leading to some long build sessions — with a 12-hour session one weekend. 

Despite the lost time, senior Cole Newman said the robot performed well at a recent scrimmage. 

“We were able to do everything we wanted our robot to do, and we were able to do it consistently and quickly,” he said (while, appropriately, wearing a NASA T-shirt). 

Each year, the worldwide FIRST Robotics organization assigns a challenge for participating teams. This year, the competition is “Destination: Deep Space,” where teams are paired for a three-on-three race to work together to move plastic balls across a stage to a spaceship. While collaboration is key, teams who were allies in one match may end up as opponents in the next. 

At the upcoming regionals, the Knights face off against mostly Midwestern teams, with the potential to progress to national and world competitions.

“It’s neat to see all the other people who are in it,” said Newman. “It’s fun to see the diversity of teams.”

When the team finally reaches this stage of the season, it’s rewarding for members to see the product of their hard work, regardless of how the robot — or its drivers — perform. This year, said Newman, the driving team has been able to stay in sync, which doesn’t always happen.

The driving itself, he admitted, is “nerve-racking,” but then he remembers the fact that he’s driving a robot he helped build: “It’s hard not to have fun doing it.”

Through the build season that often saw team members working at school until 8:30 p.m., junior Xander Blauer said that working toward that collective goal kept him inspired, as did the camaraderie among the group.

“It’s partially the wanting to see it through, but also the knowledge that you can gain, that will help you further in life,” said Blauer. 

Most team members, he said, join without knowing anything about computer-aided design (CAD) software, machining, soldering or any of the various skills required to bring a robot from design to reality. Now, as third- and fourth-year robotics veterans, the program has helped them find a career direction after high school.

Newman plans to attend Rochester Community and Technical college for computer-aided design after discovering an affinity for it within robotics. Blauer is also headed to RCTC, and though he’s not sure of his exact program, he knows his robotics skills will serve him well. 

In today’s world, the need for this technical knowledge is ever-increasing, said coach Doug Thompson, industrial technology teacher at K-W schools.

“How many programs are like this, that when they leave the program, they actually have a skill that they can use to earn a living?” said Thompson.