The Boulder City High School High Scalers robotics team (AKA Team 3009) recently wrapped up another winning campaign with some big awards.
Among the highlights: Competitions in three Southwest states where they picked up a total of four team awards as well as individual recognition for a team member and one of the team mentors.
“So few students play sports in college and even fewer make a career out of it,” said Garth Schultz before the season started. Schultz, a 1986 BCHS grad, teaches math and robotics at the high school and coaches the bowling team as well as the robotics squad.
“However, most of our robotics students have gone on to professions in some aspect of things they learned in robotics. It is so much more than just building a robot. Students have to work with other teams to strategize for matches, they present before judges, they build relationships and learn to network. This is the sport where everyone can go pro.”
The team’s season began in late February with a meet in Southern California where they won a finalist award. A couple of weeks later they competed in Flagstaff, Ariz. where they won an award for the imagery used in their robot and they wrapped up in late March at the Las Vegas Regional event held at the Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of UNLV where they again won the Imagery Award as well as another finalist nod.
Individual recognition went to Maeili McNary, who won the Dean’s List Finalist at the Las Vegas event. “For this,” explained Schultz, “She is nominated by a mentor. Each team may nominate two sophomores or juniors. The award recognizes a top student who also gives to FIRST robotics.”
McNary is involved in mentoring and judging for FIRST Lego League and FIRST Tech Challenge teams. According to Schultz, she volunteers numerous hours to robotics programs at all levels, which made her eligible to be chosen a winner at the World Championships in Houston. McNary went to Houston for the banquet on April 18, where she was selected as a winner.
“This is a pretty big deal. Only 10 students in all of the FIRST Robotics Competition are chosen as winners. There are over 90,000 students involved in FIRST Robotics Competition,” said Schultz.
“For as long as I can remember, my life has revolved around robotics,” McNary said. “In the last few years on team 3009, I’ve been given the opportunity to take leadership in something I feel truly matters. Something many people, especially high schoolers never get. I’ve spent the last few years learning new skills and trying to spread the opportunities I’ve been given to others. Helping provided more people the chance to experience STEM in a hands-on way rather than through a textbook. My time on the team and FIRST robotics as a whole has provided me tools that have allowed me to go farther than I ever thought possible.”
Mentor John Richner, who initially championed the team as a parent 17 years ago and has remained a big part of it even though his kids are now close to 30, was selected a Woodie Flowers finalist for the Las Vegas Regional. According the Schultz, this award is basically a “mentor of the year” trophy and Richner was nominated by the students on the team.
“I am very honored to have received the Woodie Flowers award, and I’m so very proud of what the students have accomplished this and every year,” said Richner. “It has been a great experience to work with so many enthusiastic, intelligent, and highly dedicated students, teachers and other mentors. Of course, all of that was only possible because of the gracious community and school support of the program over the past 17 years.”
As she gets ready to start her final year at BCHS, McNary has more big plans. “As incredible as winning this award has been, I doubt it will change anything,” she said. “Win or lose, my plan has always been to continue to expand the projects I’m involved in and give back to the community that made me who I am.”
Schultz is also looking to the future. “We have plans to increase our outreach into the community. Currently, we are seeking opportunities to do STEM camps with summer youth programs. We have begun talking with the city to start a Boulder City STEAM Center where various youth groups could meet to hold STEAM activities. In addition to outreach, we have been running a swerve drive base on our robot for the last two years. So, in the fall, we are going to start to build a swerve drive base for next season’s robot. With Garrett Junior High doing more STEM classes, we hope to recruit more incoming freshmen to grow our program.”