This upcoming Spring there will be the first Robotics Competition of the school year. The team’s coaches are Biology and Advanced Biology teacher Daniel Strang and Chemistry teacher, James Hartman. They may be the coaches but they do not necessarily run the show. Junior Austin Hacker is going on his third year of being in robotics.

“In the beginning it is scary but once you get to know people, it is like family.” says Austin Hacker.

Being in a new environment with people who hardly know each other can be new for some people, it could take a while for them to get use to how things go. But for others it can be exciting.

“It’s very exciting, because we have a lot of student leadership, and helpful members of the community.” said Daniel Strang.

Being excited about a new club or topic that other people want to learn more about can make that subject even better. Plus if they have past experience then they could possibly teach other people.

“I did robotics in the early 2000’s and it’s challenging, fun and it also can be exciting,” said James Hartman.

A person who has experience with a subject can be a valuable tool. They can be an inspiration to those who are interested in that subject and they can answer questions to help people exceed. And some people just want something to do for the fun of it or just get more involved in their school.

“Robotics is something more that I can do after school and my friends were in it so I was like, ‘yeah, why not’,” said Austin Hacker.

Trying something new and being involved with a committee can make a huge difference not only on that person, but the group they are in. When people get involved other people want to join and the more people that get involved the better.

“I want to do anything I can to make sure students have as many opportunities as they can as possible and enhance the learning experience.” said Daniel Strang.

When a teacher says they want to help students know more about a subject it can make the students feel more at ease with the subject. In order for a teacher to teach a student something they have to physically and mentally prepare. James Hartman prepares himself and his team for a robotics game and or competition.

“There is a game that gets announced before the competition, so we build a robot that will get us points.” said Hartman.

A lot of preparation goes into building a robot. There is a lot of constructing, reconstructing, and taking apart. All of these things are important and kind of necessary when making a robot. It can be challenging.

“I have always wanted to be an engineer and when I heard about robotics I was like, ‘Why not! Sounds awesome’.” said Hacker.

When teens open up about what they want to be when they grow up, it can open up so many doors for them to do what they can be when they get older. Any high school club can help them understand more about a career. High school students have four years to figure out where they want to go for college and what they want to be, but when people are help others it makes the task a fun and new experience at the same time.

Getting along with the people you work with is a very important thing when it comes to any group project. If you do not get along with someone you work with, then that could end badly. Your feelings for them could distract you from work, and even cause you to talk them down and make them feel bad about their work, even if it is good work.

“Mr.Hartman and I get along well, his experience should lead us to success.” said Strang.

Being able to work with someone who knows more about a subject than the others, can not only help them learn more about that topic, but, it can let the person who knows a lot about that topic have room to learn more about that topic.

Robotics is just like any other group or team people can find at their high school. They help each other out and have one another’s backs. They get to learn more about not only themselves but other people in the robotics community.