Legacy
From 1999-2002, I was in the Engineering, Science, and Technology Academy at my high school. A couple teachers banded together and got a group of students together who were interested in technology and science courses, as well as the idea of going into related fields in adulthood.
While the newly formed academy was a great idea and it did help (most of) us focus towards goals, the school dropped the program due to funding issues, and not high enough interest. But in it's short 3 year run, we paved the road for future students to have the option of learning and exploring these fields in high school, helping the school to secure the Digital High School Grant funds, and achieve several other awards and acclaims. We made it possible for new classes, new curriculum to be taught, new teachers to be brought in to teach these new classes, and for new students to be encouraged and shown new things that were previously never thought possible in our school.
Reading this article in the paper makes me proud of what I helped contribute to. Without the combined efforts of the students and teachers back when I was in high school, this wouldn't be possible for the school today.
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VHS robotics team shows its stuff
VHS robotics team shows its stuff
By Shauntel Lowe
Posted: 02/23/2010 01:02:21 AM PST
Vallejo High School's robotics team -- the Zombots -- kicked off its quest for an upcoming victory Monday with a media day and robot demonstration.
"It was brutal," lead team engineer Phillip Sabedra, 18, said of the past six weeks, which the students have spent building the "soccer-playing" robot.
There were many long nights -- and lots of stale pizza -- but the journey toward completion has been lots of fun, Sabedra said.
The team is planning to ship the robot to Oregon today in preparation for the March 4 competition there.
The Zombots will arrive via road trip -- starting March 2 -- during which they will visit a few colleges, Vallejo High math teacher and robotics team coach Beth Traub said.
Traub and Vallejo High physics teacher Jack Gillespie advise the robotics team.
In its second year, the team will face teams with more experience and stronger financial backing, but its members remain confident, Traub said.
In early January, FIRST Robotics Competition officials released details on what is expected of competitors, giving the teams about six weeks to complete the design. A $6,000 entrance fee provided select materials to each team to be supplemented by donations and fundraising.
On Monday, Skyview Memorial Lawn President Buck Kamphausen dropped off a $1,000 check for the team, a surprise to Traub and Gillespie.
Skyview was the team's first sponsor when it began last year, Traub said.
Team members on Monday detailed the work that goes into a robot, from the media team that works on promotion and fundraising to the building team and programmer who turn the materials into a functioning, soccer playing robot.
Sophomore Alexander Redman is the team's programmer, working on codes that tell the robot what to do.
Redman, who just celebrated his 16th birthday, laughed and said, "I can drive a robot, but I can't drive a car."
Monday's demonstration included a few kinks, with the robot's spring, wearied from so much practice, unable to fully propel the soccer ball.
But the team was planning to spend the afternoon -- and night if necessary -- getting the robot ready for send off.
Another launch is also underway, with the high school in the first stages of developing a "green" engineering academy centered around robotics. Vallejo High was recently awarded a $29,000 planning grant from the state's California Partnership Academy to train staff and structure the program to begin fall 2011, Gillespie said.
It seems the school is fertile ground for future engineers, with both Sabedra and fellow team builder Daniel Ruvalcaba, 17, saying they hope to study engineering in college.
While the newly formed academy was a great idea and it did help (most of) us focus towards goals, the school dropped the program due to funding issues, and not high enough interest. But in it's short 3 year run, we paved the road for future students to have the option of learning and exploring these fields in high school, helping the school to secure the Digital High School Grant funds, and achieve several other awards and acclaims. We made it possible for new classes, new curriculum to be taught, new teachers to be brought in to teach these new classes, and for new students to be encouraged and shown new things that were previously never thought possible in our school.
Reading this article in the paper makes me proud of what I helped contribute to. Without the combined efforts of the students and teachers back when I was in high school, this wouldn't be possible for the school today.
-----
VHS robotics team shows its stuff
VHS robotics team shows its stuff
By Shauntel Lowe
Posted: 02/23/2010 01:02:21 AM PST
Vallejo High School's robotics team -- the Zombots -- kicked off its quest for an upcoming victory Monday with a media day and robot demonstration.
"It was brutal," lead team engineer Phillip Sabedra, 18, said of the past six weeks, which the students have spent building the "soccer-playing" robot.
There were many long nights -- and lots of stale pizza -- but the journey toward completion has been lots of fun, Sabedra said.
The team is planning to ship the robot to Oregon today in preparation for the March 4 competition there.
The Zombots will arrive via road trip -- starting March 2 -- during which they will visit a few colleges, Vallejo High math teacher and robotics team coach Beth Traub said.
Traub and Vallejo High physics teacher Jack Gillespie advise the robotics team.
In its second year, the team will face teams with more experience and stronger financial backing, but its members remain confident, Traub said.
In early January, FIRST Robotics Competition officials released details on what is expected of competitors, giving the teams about six weeks to complete the design. A $6,000 entrance fee provided select materials to each team to be supplemented by donations and fundraising.
On Monday, Skyview Memorial Lawn President Buck Kamphausen dropped off a $1,000 check for the team, a surprise to Traub and Gillespie.
Skyview was the team's first sponsor when it began last year, Traub said.
Team members on Monday detailed the work that goes into a robot, from the media team that works on promotion and fundraising to the building team and programmer who turn the materials into a functioning, soccer playing robot.
Sophomore Alexander Redman is the team's programmer, working on codes that tell the robot what to do.
Redman, who just celebrated his 16th birthday, laughed and said, "I can drive a robot, but I can't drive a car."
Monday's demonstration included a few kinks, with the robot's spring, wearied from so much practice, unable to fully propel the soccer ball.
But the team was planning to spend the afternoon -- and night if necessary -- getting the robot ready for send off.
Another launch is also underway, with the high school in the first stages of developing a "green" engineering academy centered around robotics. Vallejo High was recently awarded a $29,000 planning grant from the state's California Partnership Academy to train staff and structure the program to begin fall 2011, Gillespie said.
It seems the school is fertile ground for future engineers, with both Sabedra and fellow team builder Daniel Ruvalcaba, 17, saying they hope to study engineering in college.