Poly’s new Robotics Club, sponsored by science teacher Tamara Araya, aims to bring students from all academies and their various abilities together. The club allows students to build robots for competitions throughout the school year.
The club will be competing in its first competition in March, which aside from displaying engineering expertise, will measure its talents in grant writing, computer animation and marketing. Because of this, the Robotics Club attracts students interested in both the sciences and the arts.
“You don’t have to be interested in robots to join. This club is more like an engineering club,” said Araya.
The FIRST Competition is a challenge in which student engineers in teams from various schools build a robot that does a certain function. For example, the teams might have to build a robot that can throw a ball or pull an object. Animators are needed to make safety videos, and marketers, although not directly in the competition, help register the team for competitions. Perhaps one of the most important members of the club is the grant writer.
Without adequate funding, the Robotics Club would be unable to pay for registration fees, materials, traveling costs, etc. This is where the grant writers come in. With the help from CSULB professor Dr. Laura Henriques, students will learn how to write successful grants.
“She really does help. Dr. Henriques taught us a lot of pointers. It’s nice to see someone support our club,” said sophomore Pascha Hao.
The Robotics Club will also receive support from Servite High School, which has a history of helping other high schools in starting their own robotics clubs. When Poly’s Robotics Club is established, they will mentor the other Long Beach high schools with starting their own robotics clubs.
“It is all about the community, not the rivalry. We have to work together,” said Araya.
With many hurdles such as organizing the club and finding funds, the Robotics Club hopes to start its first year successfully and to unite eager students with an interest in building.
“I’m looking forward to the hands-on experience of building something. I think that even though we lack funding, the club will be a huge success,” said junior Kevin Wei.
Leave a Reply