By Susan Curnow Breedlove, with input of Britta Pearson and David Sylvestre
The story of Henry’s Robotic Team is phenomenal!
Henry High’s robotic team has received 25 awards in Minnesota regionalsand has unprecedentedly advanced to international championships for 11 of 13 years. “Not many urban teams in the world have advanced to world championships as has Henry,” said David Sylvestre, former Henry engineering teacher and legacy advisor. “Herobotics has thrived at Henry because of long-time dedicated community volunteers like lead mentor Jack Skogen and mentor Julie Voight.” Henry’s team has also benefited from team graduates returning including: Britta Pearson, former captain who helped the team advance to world championship over several years; volunteer Carly Robison, an alumnus of a California team who was looking for a local team to mentor; and Elle Caldow, former Bakken Museum and U of M Bell Museum employee, now a science teacher at Henry.
How have engineering and robotics become such an integral facet of Henry High? It started with a Diversity Inclusion Grant from FIRST ROBOTICS (an international high school robotics competition) in 2008. In 2015 the Herobotics Team at Henry founded MURA (Minneapolis Urban Robotics Alliance), a supportive system for teams in many schools. The Henry student-led robotic team then suggested the former Lincoln School site as a location for teams to share a workspace. With the help of other Minneapolis robotics teams, Henry secured a grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) in 2018to purchase a $20,000 world-class aluminum competition field, similar in size to a basketball court. Installed as MURA Field, it continues to serve many youth from urban Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs inside Lincoln School at Penn Ave. and 12th St. N. The MURA Field has become a national model, or prototype of a practice field, and is referred to as The Hub. The model is being copied in four other parts of Minnesota. Significantly, it has become a place where teams of varying resources and skills collaborate with each other.
The Herobotics Team of 2022-23
The Herobotics team has just completed it’s 2022-23 pre-season stage. During the pre-season stage team members were engaged in learning how to use tools and about team members’ roles. This has been a relaxed period of getting acquainted with one another. Returning team members from last year went to all 9th grade Henry physical science classes where they introduced themselves and invited freshman to join “this cool club.”
Members and advisors began the building stage on January 7, 2023. First, they watched a video which presented the components of their first participatory competition. This competition will be held on March 29, as a regional event at the University of Minnesota. Second, team members brainstormed and prototyped mechanisms, testing different designs of what the robot they plan to create will be able to achieve for the initial competition. Spectators are encouraged to attend the March event at the U of M to cheer on the students as they compete with about 60 other national and internationalteams. (The writer of this article has done so in the past, and found it fascinating and an eye opener into the future of technology.) The game the team has to play with their robot remains the same but designs can change throughout the year. If they advance in the competition, the team attends FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Championship in Houston. This starts April 19 and is an international event.
So what do the Herobotics Team members do with their enthusiasm for robotics during off-season? There are competitions and learning events they can participate in. For example, Duluth hosts the Gitchi Gummi Get Together, a free summer robotics retreat in July where attendees learn skills, such as how to drive a robot and compete with each other.
The Herobotics Team at Henry High is seeking individuals who would like to share their skills as mentors. If you are one of these people, please contact them. They would love to have you, especially if you have expertise in one of the following areas:
* Building Mentor- mechanical and electronic expertise, CAD/3-D modeling experience.
* Business Mentor- outreach, fundraising, award/grant writing.
* Imagery Mentors-graphic design, photo, experience with 3-D printing/lazer cutters.
* Programming Mentor.
Should you want to contribute to support the team at Henry, contact herobotics2500@gmail.com or Henry technology instructor and Herobotics adviser LaToya Grier at 612-668-2000.