After years of planning, the robotics team finally made their dream a reality: a renovation of the robotics lab. Over the summer, screws and nuts found a new home in the classroom down the hall while the robotics room transformed.
Robotics coaches Mr. Will Leech and Mr. Adam Myers have been waiting for this moment for a long time.
“We have been asking for renovations for as long as we have been in this room,” Mr. Myers said. “The vision of the school for a long time was that they wanted to keep spaces as pliable as possible, and this renovation made this place more devoted to robotics.”
Mr. Leech and Mr. Myers had two goals for the renovation.
“We came in with some simple requests. Carpet gone and hopefully the walls gone as well, which has let us get more flexibility in how the room was organized,” Mr. Leech said.
They reached out to Facilities Director Mr. Jeremy Wilkinson around early April, who solidified the request by the end of the school year. Around July, contractors arrived, and they finished the renovation by early August.
The coaches were delighted with the result.
“We’re thrilled. It’s going to make a real impact on the culture of the robotics team. Having a dedicated space and having it organized will relieve some of the stress off our shoulders and of the members of the team,” Mr. Myers said.
“The difference between what was achievable versus what we wanted was small, and we’re really grateful that our needs were met,” Mr. Leech said.
“It’s going to make a real impact on the culture of the robotics team.”
Mr. Adam Myers
The coaches also designed a large wooden platform to replace the standard one sold by VEX, the company responsible for the robotics competitions.
“It was really a financial decision. Two thousand dollars for a standard VEXfield, versus five hundred for some lumber from Home Depot. It’s more specialized than a cookie-cutter VEX field and opens up more opportunities to send more teams to competition,” Mr. Leech said.
Robotics team members are excited about the upcoming season and the new space.
“The old robotics room seemed to be like this thing stuck in the 90s, now it seems more modern and functional than before,” Fifth Former Kevin Covington said. “It seems free.”
