For most of the past decade, Westbrook High School’s robotics club existed mostly on paper. This year it exists in a converted supply closet off the science wing, where a dozen students are building the school’s first competition robot in years.
The space is tight, the ceiling is low, and the shelves still hold a few boxes of old lab equipment. But it has power, a workbench built from donated lumber, and a growing collection of hand tools that arrived through a mix of small grants and hand-me-downs from local trades.
Learning by breaking things
The students are teaching themselves as much as they are being taught, which is largely the point. Their first drivetrain failed within minutes; the second lasted an afternoon; the third is still running.
- Members rotate through mechanical, electrical, and programming roles
- Meetings run after school twice a week and most Saturdays before a competition
- The club is seeking a few adult mentors with fabrication experience
Whether they win anything this season is almost beside the point. For the first time in years, the club has somewhere to build.
Related: Community Life · the library's revamped hours
Further reading: FIRST Robotics Competition
