Karrie Meyers – Highlands Ranch, Colorado … On May 4 at 3:30 a.m., the Denver International Airport Southwest ticket counter was flooded with 23 blurry-eyed Mile High Academy (MHA) middle and upper school robotics students and sponsors. The destination was Forest Lake Academy in Orlando, Florida, where the MHA Robotstangs would compete in their respective Adventist Robotics First Tech Challenge and First LEGO League robotics tournaments.

For the upper school team, this was their second year representing MHA at the tournament. Even with several veterans on the team, there were many new members this school year, all bringing valued feedback to the design. And, as with any new build progression, there was a lot of hit and miss until the result came together.

“It was a trial-and-error process,” said Jonas Jaklich, MHA junior. “We would build something, try it out, and, if it failed, either try again or scrap the design.”

Jaklich said the team spent a considerable amount of time on the first robot design only to decide it was time to move on and try a new design. In total, the upper school team built three robots before they were pleased with the result.

The middle school team was invited to compete after winning their regional competition at the First LEGO League middle school tournament held on MHA’s campus in February. The team originally was two separate teams but merged into one and proceeded to build a new robot in two months for the Florida competition.

“The team was super excited for the trip,” said Reuben Kahler, MHA middle school robotics team instructor. “They were so wired on the plane, but immediately got down to business when they arrived.”

After arriving at Forest Lake Academy, the teams spent time reconstructing their robots that had been carefully disassembled for the flight. They also spent time at Cocoa Beach playing in the ocean, relaxing on the sand, and enjoying some bonding time together as a school.

The Robotstangs attended Spring Meadows Seventh-day Adventist Church Sabbath morning, followed by an afternoon hike at Lake Apopka where the teams counted 109 alligators on their walk. But by Saturday evening, they were back in the academy’s gym prepping for competition and making final adjustments to their robots after the vespers program.

The tournament officially kicked off on Sunday. The gym felt electrifying as robotics teams came together from all over the United States. The students spent time talking with other schools, discussing the designs and functionalities the other teams were trying to obtain during the tournament.

“We failed the first round of competition,” said Seth Eno, MHA junior. “With zero points, we really felt the pressure to catch up.”

The upper school robotics team received third place in partners and sixth place individually. The team also won the Motivation award for their volunteer help during the First LEGO League tournament at MHA and for taking their robot to a local library to show people in the community.

“This was an awesome competition,” said Eno. “All the schools were cheering each other on. It’s truly a great experience, and you learn a lot.”

Ridge Tull, MHA upper school robotics instructor said, “Overall, I am very happy with my advanced robotics involvement and perseverance in the tournament and class. This class is not easy, from the design of the robot to the construction, to the coding and autonomous mode, all of this is intense and grueling work. I’m proud of the team’s achievements, hard work and CHERISH attitudes to everyone at the tournament. These kids have shown nothing less than respect, empathy, and compassion to the teams and robotics around them.”

In addition to providing a working robot for competition, the middle school teams also had to develop and present something they would either improve on or create in the energy world. The team selected an improved windmill as their presentation subject. They showed a power point presentation and presented a model of their new windmill, including raising the turbines 70 feet and making the turbine blades green and black to help eliminate bird strikes.

When reflecting on the event, Benjamin Pelley, MHA seventh grader, said, “The robotics tournament was fun. Even though we lost, we had a great time, and we learned things we will use next year.”

The middle school team received competition metals and a commemorative plaque.

“I was so proud of the innovation and thought the team put into their robot and presentation,” said Kahler. “While there is still lots of room to grow, they are in a good position to push themselves and become better robot designers, which includes designing robots that are less reliable on human input.”

After the Sunday competition, the teams enjoyed dinner at Cracker Barrell before heading back to the dorms. Upper school briefly slept before catching their early Monday morning flight back to Denver while the middle school students enjoyed an extra day in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center.

“We are grateful for Adventist Robotics and their hard work putting together such a fantastic tournament for our students,” said Andrew Carpenter, MHA principal. “I am also proud of the hard work and dedication this year’s robotics teams put into their final product. They not only represented us well at tournament but showed a true comradeship during the entire school year.”

Carpenter went on to say, “Through robotics, our students learn valuable mathematical and critical thinking skills that extend beyond their time at MHA. We look forward to continuing to build our robotics program and additional STEAM opportunities for our students.”

—Karrie Meyers is the marketing and development staff at Mile High Academy. Photos supplied.