The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Robotics team builds confidence, engineering skills
By Edward Freundl, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: May 15, 2008
The first thing you learn about the Chelsea High School robotics team is, this ain't your father's shop class project.
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This highly motivated and highly dedicated group takes its computer, math and engineering training to the next level by building robotic devices for regional and national competition against other schools.
This year the team has 22 members from all grade levels who worked as a close-knit unit to design and build their machine and take it on the road.
The season lasts only from January to April, so for those four months the kids and their volunteer mentors from the Chrysler Proving Grounds are on a non-stop rush.
Along the way they competed in regional contests in St. Louis in February and Cleveland in March, finishing up against 395 teams at "the nationals," April 17 to 19 in Atlanta, Ga.
"We had a lot of support from Chrysler employees, mostly engineers from the Proving Grounds," said Deb Bentley, Robotics Club adviser and computers and math teacher.
The challenge is different every year. This time, the robots had to drive around a track and try to put a 10-pound, 42-inch diameter inflated ball into a goal while avoiding a number of obstacles, while also trying to prevent the opposing team from doing the same.
Josh Riley, a senior and president of the club, explained the process in detail.
"It works off a 12-volt motorcycle battery, hydraulics operate the arms on each side, and it has a two-speed transmission for variable speed," Riley said.
"To be precise we flip it into low gear, then shift into high to buzz around the track."
Riley added that teams have only six weeks to build the robot and ship it to the first competition - a deadline that causes problems for many other teams.
"This year we had everything working by the time we had to ship it out," he said.
The Chrysler Foundation helps fund the design and construction of the machine and students scrounge for parts wherever they can, Riley noted.
He added that every club member is encouraged to take part in the design process, but some ideas just can't be put into practice.
"Wally Sheets of Chelsea Tool machined the parts, and he tells us what can and can't be done," Riley said.
The schedule is hectic during the season, especially during the design-build phase.
"We meet every Tuesday and Thursday, but during the six-week build period we meet every day but Sunday," Riley said.
Although he is due to graduate in June and has been accepted into the University of Michigan's College of Engineering, he will return to the team next year as a mentor because he sees great value in the hands-on technical experience it provides.
"This is a great program; it's something the high school needs," Riley said. "It's the only tech-based group at the high school."
Seniors Erin Bergman and Heather Zamenski have been club members for three years and enjoy the challenge of the traditionally male-dominated field.
"There's a lot to learn - you quickly realize you don't know anything," Bergman said.
"You have to do it quickly, so it's like cramming for a test but you're cramming for a future job, your future life."
Zamenski particularly enjoyed the thrill of competition.
"You see everyone working together, which is great," Zamenski said.
"You can be helping the group next to you in one round, and then you might end up trying to compete against them in another.
"Everyone shares an excitement for things."
Junior Nicholas Worthington said he helped build the frame of the robot, and was the team's "official cameraman."
"I took a lot of video at the competitions," he said.
Worthington said students in all four high school grades are involved, which makes it a rewarding experience.
"What I like the best is just being around the people," he said. "They're a great group, a joy to be around."
Curt Stoeber, a Proving Grounds engineer, is lead mentor for the team this year.
He said he was especially impressed with the creativity of the students' ideas and their willingness to try just about anything.
"Seeing the ideas they come up with and how they handle problems, it's amazing the different approaches they can take," Stoeber said.
"It's been a real learning experience for me."
Now that the competitions are done for the year, they will concentrate on fund-raising for next year.
Although the Chrysler Foundation pays for building the robot and entering the competitions, getting the team there and seeing to their needs is another matter.
"Meijer on Zeeb Road was a huge help - they donated a lot of food to us; many local restaurants helped feed everybody five days a week for six weeks," said mentor and parent Michelle Schroeder.
Bentley confirmed her team's commitment to the cause, saying many kids like to spend hours after school with their robotic creation.
"We're like a big ol' family," she said. "Some of them don't want to go home."
The regional and national competitions are run by US FIRST — the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, with Google and NASA as major sponsors.
Schroeder noted that former President George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara are big supporters of the robotics competition, and were present at the nationals.
"George Bush said something that really impressed me," Schroeder said. "'Not everybody can be a professional athlete or professional musician, but everybody here can be a professional at what they do.'"
With the switch to trimesters next year, the team can do much of its work in school for class credit instead of waiting for the end of the day.
"The high school will have a robotics class next year in second trimester, and that will be a big help," she said.
The starting lineup
The Chelsea High School robotics team members: Cameron Beatty, Erin Bergman, Anna Brielend-Shoulz, Garrett Branham, Warren Dyerly, Stephen Jennings, Jake Kitchens, Paul Kizer, Zack Lenza, Cainan Ochoa, Jeff McKay, Amelia Raines, Josh Riley, Cody Robbins, Ryan Sanders, Ryan Schroeder, Sean Stalhandske, Phil Sullivan, Marc Vredeveld, Nick Worthington, Greg Zamenski, Heather Zamenski
Team mentors: CHS Faculty Adviser: Deb Bentley; Chrysler Proving Grounds staff mentors: Curt Stoeber, lead mentor; Ed Hawkinson, Larry Madsen, Jane Morse, Larry Nisbett, Jeff Zyburt.
Additional mentors: Mike Kizer, Mark Schroeder, Michelle Schroeder, Ryan Shutes, Annette Sullivan, Chris Rill and Doug Worthington.
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