The robotics team works with First Robotics and is a group of people building robots for the big competition called FRC (FIRST Robotics competition). Senior Hayley May is happy and proud to be a part of the team.

May states that the robotics team is not essentially part of the school district, but the school has already done so much and is most definitely their biggest sponsor.  At the beginning, the Robotics team started off very small, but as many more kids joined the program — kids with more experience and different expertise — the team has increased their software, which has helped things such as their auto. Auto is the advanced programming that lets robots operate independently for a certain amount of time. More students being involved with the team opens up new possibilities with events and life opportunities. When debating about whether or not she should join, Hayley said, “I was extremely nervous when I was going to the first meeting. I thought that knowing it’s a stem oriented program, you had to be brainy to get in. But then I was wrong. You don’t have to be a genius to want to be in the Robotics team.  You can be in the robotics team and learn about other things as well”.

The Robotics teams always wants to feel that kids are encouraged and are having fun.  Their motto is “ Building robots, building people. They don’t want kids to feel excluded.  

May says her team is really hoping to win the PNW championship award, but in the long run, they want to improve their skills and programs. The PNW is district system, where 150 teams participate.  Whomever wins the competition is automatically qualified for Worlds in Houston, Texas, where everyone from the world gets to join this competition. Knowing that the Robotics team in Wilsonville High school is ranked first is a big step up for them, but May claims, “We aren’t naive, and we know there are a lot of teams that are better than us but we do know that we are capable of qualifying for worlds”.

This year is Hayley’s last year at school, but she knows that she will definitely volunteer and help the team in any way possible.