HOLLAND, Mich. — A community of creation inside a local high school is helping students find their niche.
"I've always been really into tech stuff and computer stuff in my life, but I never really had an outlet for it," said James Oosterhouse, senior Holland Christian, Robotics team member.
Oosterhouse alongside his robotics team is making robots. The team is talented, winning competitions and representing West Michigan on the world stage.
More so than that, the robots give the students something back. Oosterhouse alongside senior Lily Johnson drives and controls the robot at competition. Each member of the team has a specific role in its creation and competition.
Oosterhouse explained, "we had to climb all the way to that top one for maximum points so that was one of our specialties this year because not a whole lot of other robots could do that."
The goal of the game is to drive the robot to a hoop, shoot, and score. Buidling, practicing, and competing is much like a team sport.
"I got to have more friends from different grades or people that I normally wouldn't hang out with in school that were interested in the same things as me and it really brought everyone together as a team," said Lily Johnson, senior Holland Christian, robotics team member.
The team is inclusive too, made up of half young men and women. "I've usually been the only girl in it, so it's fun to have a community," said Johnson.
The team volunteers together outside of school and practice, gets together for events, and trains with professional mentors. And, they get to meet other students they might never have known.
"We love Zeeland public school working with them, so it's not common like in a sports team your competitors come practice with you. They'll come bring their robot for sleepovers where it stays here so they can come night after night and practice with us. The kids from Allendale will come out, or Grand Haven," Nicki Bonczyk, Holland Christian Robotics Mentor, Engineer at JR Automation.
Getting a leg up for college with coding, engineering, and tech, but also trades like machining, welding, and fabrication. The real-world skills will serve students well beyond high school. And during those tough sometimes tricky high school years, the team knows they've got a community at robotics.
"You have a hard day at school, you have a lot of homework to do, but at least you have robotics at night. I feel like there's a lot of people that might not have found their thing yet and I think it's really important that people understand what robotics is, it's not just something for the nerdy kid to go do, it's something that anybody can participate in," said Oosterhouse.
