For most high school students, memories of being on a team or in a club will be little more than just memories once they hit college or get a job in the real world.
However, one team at Lake Orion High School has completely bucked that trend in recent years.
The FIRST Robotics Team 302, made up of 25 LOHS students, is doing much more than just creating memories; they’re preparing students for their next step in life.
‘The goal of the program is to inspire young students to get into technology and do math and science,? said LOHS senior and team member Justin Tucker.
At LOHS, where most of the nine seniors on this year’s team will go into some sort of engineering program, this goal is certainly being met.
The program’s success relies heavily on the influence of their volunteer mentors. The team currently has eight engineers from Daimler Chrysler serving as mentors, in addition to four other mentors.
‘That’s the core of our program, having those mentors come in and give their knowledge,? said parent and mentor Lisa Tucker.
Daimler Chrysler is the team’s biggest sponsor, but the program takes more than just one sponsor to be as successful as it has been.
Sterling Stamping and Brose in Auburn Hills are among the other sponsors.
Students are also responsible for sponsoring themselves by raising $500 to join the team.
That doesn’t turn many student away though, according to LOHS technician and primary faculty mentor Pat McHale.
‘The students on the team are picked from an interview session and application process, and then grouped into appropriate departments based on their strengths,? McHale said.
There are six core teams or departments within the LOHS team and some students are members of multiple teams.
Of course, none of this would be possible without the FIRST Robotics Competition itself.
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) sponsors numerous science and technology events, with the over 1,000 team robotics event being the biggest.
This year’s challenge was to build a robot that shoots balls into a net, aided by a vision camera.
Team 302 recently finished their intensive six-week build season, shipped their robot to the first regional competition site and then created a second robot to practice with.
‘The kids even come in on their winter break,? noted Lisa, ‘That’s how dedicated they are.?
The team is now concentrating on game strategy, which included giving suggestions to their alliance teams.
‘The first day of a competition is seeding,? said Justin.
‘The final afternoon involves picking alliances, so how you mesh with a team plays a big part in your success.?
The program began in 1992, and the LOHS team has had a long record of success.
This year, they will be competing at three regional competitions across the state, as well as the national championship in Atlanta.
If something were to happen to the team’s competition robot during one of the regionals, the team would have a chance to fix it.
‘We’re given a 48-hour grace period to fix certain problems,? Justin said.
Regional action takes place in Ypsilanti (March 9-11), Detroit (March 16-18) and Grand Rapids (March 30-April 1).
The championship, with 250 qualifying teams is April 26-29.
According to Lisa, the team is hoping to qualify by getting honored with the Chairman’s Award, the highest award given by the program.
That award stresses community involvement and the success of students at the next level in science and math, both strengths of Team 302.
‘We’re always in the top eight at every competition and we always have been,? added Justin, who noted that the team has been to nationals every year since they started.
For more information on the team, their project or their competition dates, please visit www.team302.com.