Mr. Hines has been teaching the Robotics class for the past 2 years at CAC and has inspired many students to have a new-found love for creating and designing robots! Mr. Hines says the thing that he most enjoys about robotics is seeing students come together to create something amazing. The class centers around the FIRST Robotics Competition. In this competition, students have about two months to make a robot that can complete a certain task. After that, the teams go to regional competitions, and then from there they can qualify for nationals. Mr. Hines says that in the competition last year they had to make a last minute change to the code of the robot.
“I couldn't have done it, but one of our students knew how to do it just from being invested in that part of the project from the beginning of the year," Mr. Hines said. "I have learned that many of the students here at CAC have hobbies, interests and skills that you may not see in an English or math class, but when they get to build a robot, those skills are obvious and impressive!”
Mr. Hines says that there are a lot of things throughout the school year that we learn that we may not use in our daily lives. However, robotics allows students to use their hands and make things happen!
“The coolest thing as a teacher is seeing students take the initiative to figure out something that I'm not even sure how to do and make it happen for the team.”
Robotics can pave the way for various careers that students can go into. Yes, the skills that are learned in robotics class are highly used in engineering and computer science, but they can also be used in non-STEM careers.
“Students can also gain experience managing budgets, raising funds and even handling social media and marketing for their team, learning entrepreneurial skills and leadership qualities that are valuable in any profession.”
If you are interested in joining the Robotics team, you do not have to be a part of the class! If you are interested, stop by Mr. Hines room and see how you can help build a robot and go to the competition in the spring.