By Abigail Bennett

This past season, the SLE Robotics team, The Flying Toasters, attended the World Championship at Cobo Hall and were division finalists.

Robotics season usually starts up in January and during the active season the team members spend up to 20 hours a week working together in the general room, fab shop, and the machine shop where they build the materials they need for the robotics. 

There’s also different sub teams that make up robotics: the competition team, drive team, strategy, and pit crew. These teams all work together making robots throughout the season and go to 11 competitions with their coach Mr. Weber. 

This sounds like a lot of work that goes into the Robotics Team, but Senior Dante Calo assures, “If you really look at it in a positive way, it’s not a time waster.” 

Individual members of the robotics team had also fulfilled their objectives like Sophomore Cole Thomas. Thomas’s goals last season was to,“ broaden my horizons of technical things and to meet new people.”  He had then began to say that he fulfilled these goals and more. 

With the Robotics Team, you get the ability to learn to be a leader and get the opportunity to grow on the idea of what responsibility means. 

Calo has only done one year of robotics and he has already learned a great deal of leadership and a ton about mentoring skills.

Senior Anna Martin had also said, “I’ve learned a lot of new skills and it helps teach you to be a leader.” The Robotics Team gives endless opportunities to grow as a person and to grow knowledge of technology. 

Many join to meet new people and because members get to travel a lot. Some just enjoy learning about how to make robots.

Thomas said, “It’s a great way for people to possibly get a scholarship.”

To get more information or join the club, contact East teacher Mr. Ron Weber.