Mailis Herren of year 12 and Toby Ryder of year 13 show off their upgraded Robot.A $2,424 grant from Waiheke Rotary Club has allowed the Waiheke High School Robotics Club to purchase a significant upgrade to their club robot. The latest V5 technology includes upgrades to the robot brain, controller, battery, motors, radio and structural components, and will allow the students to compete in national and even international competitions.
The Robotics club has a proud history of impressive achievements which include 2nd place at the NZ National competition in the junior division, judges awards at both junior and senior levels, and a “Create” award for innovative design strategy. So far in 2019 the Waiheke club has ranked in the top 4 teams at “scrimmages” (where the teams compete).
The Robotics club meets regularly after school to design, build and test their robots. Scrimmages are held twice monthly in Auckland from July – February, culminating in a national competition each February.
The Vex Robotics Competition is also much more than building robots – it is about student initiative, learning to communicate strategy and work collaboratively with other teams, solving complex problems, figuring out new technology - all in a fun, motivating, supportive learning environment.
The Robotics club held a robotics holiday programme for younger students last year, and are working with the Waiheke Library to create learning opportunities for the 8-12 year old group.
They believe that encouraging young people to become collaborative problem-solvers, in any field, is beneficial to the community and aim to provide a pathway for students to continue to improve and extend in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) areas.
Students learn to design, build, programme and test their robots to perform specific tasks. They also learn to collaborate, iterate, manage a project, improve performance, and solve problems. The competition environment provides focus and motivation for the club, and opportunities for Waiheke students to mix with other school kids and have new experiences.
By supporting the Waiheke Robotics club, the Waiheke Rotary club are supporting the young people of Waiheke to be creators and thinkers in the world of technology. Studying robotics opens students up to many different STEM fields of study and careers.