Students eagerly waited all summer for The Robotics Club to start up for the year. They  held their first meeting for the year on Sept. 4.

The club had many returning members, but also saw an influx of freshman.

They discussed a way to get everyone trained in areas such as mechanical, electrical, programming and administration- in charge of promoting the club through social media, advertising, the club website, and setting up fundraisers.

“We really encourage everyone to join because robotics is a very unique opportunity to gain hands on experience with STEM fields,” Tejaswi Shrestha, Robotics Administration Head, stated.

On Sept. 22, the club will be hosting their Lego Camp for second through fifth graders. This event allows the elementary students to build a lego robot that they will use throughout the day to run through a maze and some other activities. New to the Lego event this year according to Robotics Advisor Emma Detrixhe, the event will be more focused on families.

We usually do a Lego robotics competition as our community outreach in the spring and so the one that we’re doing this year is new,” Detrixhe said,  “it’s a little bit more family oriented so that [the elementary students have to work with their parents, so that … they have some team building exercises.”

The club also plans to attend the Cowtown Throwdown competition during October in Missouri, as well as the K-Cup at Lawrence Free-State later this year. Going to these competitions is not free, so the club is currently holding a Yankee Candle Fundraiser, where you can order a candle right from a robotics member’s phone. This process will also allow for your candle to be delivered straight to your door. The proceeds will go towards the competitions, trips and membership costs.

Being a part of the robotics club has had an impact on many of its members.

“As someone who loves STEM, particularly the science and math, I thought Robotics would be a great opportunity for me explore more in technology and engineering,” Alice Le, Programming Head, said. “The experience of being in Robotics opened my eyes to the world of innovation and gave me a deeper appreciation for engineering.”