NEW SCOTLAND — The district received a $10,000 grant to start a high school robotics club, according to Superintendent Brian Hunt. The new activity rounds out Voorheesville’s robotics offerings to all three school levels, he said.

“As a rookie team, we were eligible to apply for a $10,000 grant, and we got it,” Hunt told The Enterprise. The district received the grant from the regional sponsor, Tech Valley FIRST, a not-for-profit with sponsors like General Electric and Time Warner Cable, Hunt said.

Voorheesville students are not new to robotics competitions, and have worked at the elementary and middle school levels at home, and at the high school level at South Colonie.

Voorheesville sophomore Justin Cunningham, 15, commuted to South Colonie after school for six weeks of his freshman year, doing what is called the “build season,” when the school team puts together its projects.

“We actually have an experienced team member,” Hunt said of Cunningham.

“My parents were advisors for the First Lego League Voorheesville Middle School team when my older brother and sister were in middle school,” Cunningham told The Enterprise in an e-mail.  “Through this experience, they made contacts with other high schools and learned that South Colonie had a high school team, even though Voorheesville didn't.  When I became a middle schooler, there was no longer a Lego League team at Voorheesville.  However, my parents encouraged me to join the Colonie First Robotics Team when I was a freshman in high school.

“I would prefer to represent my own school and participate on the team with my friends,” Cunningham continued. “Also, it is much easier and less stressful to go to Voorheesville rather than Colonie every night during the build season.”

The middle school team has since been reinstated, Hunt said.

Funds from the Tech Valley FIRST grant will cover $4,000 of a $6,000 fee to enter a competition held at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and also cover parts and materials, including a basic robotics kit, he said.

The district also received a $4,400 grant from the Voorheesville Community and School Foundation, Hunt said.

“We have been well-funded getting started,” he said.

Six residents with engineering backgrounds will advise the group, Hunt said; responsibilities will be divvied up soon, he said, and approved at the December board meeting.

“The build season starts in January, and the kids have six weeks to build,” he said.

The high school level differs from the two Lego League robotics groups at the middle and elementary schools, he said.

“It’s a different kind of robot,” he said.

The kit for the high school team comes with parts, motors, and a controller or micro-processor.

“It’s in a more rough form,” Hunt said. “The kids have more freedom to design the robot, but there are parameters — limits of weight and size. You find that the designs are more varied, more creative.”

“There are many different opportunities,” Cunningham wrote, “such as programming, building, driving or controlling the robot, public relations, strategy, scouting, safety, and fund-raising. Although the six-week build season is intense, it goes by very fast.  Throughout this build season, students will feel pressured, but in the end you will learn so much and it is very rewarding.”

“There is no cost for kids to join,” Hunt said. “The district provides a stipend for the advisor, and transportation. It’s a creative and fun experience for the students. Now, they’re going to want to learn about engineering and science. It’s a real motivator for the kids.

“The kids who participate in this get very enthusiastic,” he continued. “They meet every night after school, and it’s intense. There’s a lot of teamwork involved — design, publicity, grant applications — kind of like running a business…It’s a great experience for the kids.”

Cunningham described the building process as involving “a huge time commitment, where I had to dedicate at least 55 hours in a six-week span.”

Cunningham wrote that he is happy to be on familiar ground in Voorheesville.

“Being a new member of a team at a school where you don't know anybody felt awkward at times,” he wrote. “My least favorite part was not knowing where I can be useful or fit in. My favorite part was when there were opportunities when I could share my ideas and feel valued.

“I enjoyed the group interactions when we were discussing strategies and issues,” Cunningham continued. “The easiest part was working with groups and expressing our ideas — specifically, strategies.
“I hope… to get many of my friends to join the team.  Also, I hope to be a good resource for the team to let them know what to expect and what kind of a commitment it is. There are many college scholarships available for participants of First Robotics that could help when applying and paying for college,” he said. “After one year of experience, I feel that I could be a student leader for our new team,” Cunningham said. “The final competition is very intense and exciting.  Being part of a team and representing your school is something that you will always be proud to be a part of.”