GUELPH – Sunshine streamed through the cafeteria’s large glass windows, and people strolled leisurely outside, some wearing just shorts and a T-shirt, soaking up unseasonably warm weather on March 13.
But about a dozen students opted to spend March Break at school, diligently working on Apollo – a robot designed, built, programmed and operated by students.
The bot whizzed around picking up orange rubber rings and shooting them into wooden traps, while students perfected the programming.
The team, Beaverworx 2609, has been led by Our Lady of Lourdes (OLOL) Catholic High School teacher Michael Moore for 17 years. Each year, students in Grades 9 through 12 create an original robot.
Over the next few weeks, Beaverworx will compete in Durham, Waterloo and Mississauga. And in April, the team will bring the bot to Houston, Texas to compete in an annual international competition hosted by the global non-profit organization For Inspiration and Recognition of Science Technology (FIRST).
Last year, Beaverworx won the FIRST Robotics World Championship.
And this year, the team has put in the work needed for another win, Moore said, with some students spending between 25 and 35 hours a week on the robot.
There are 28 students on the team, as well as between 8 and 10 mentors – mostly Beaverworx alumni.
Inclusivity
People of all levels and abilities are welcome to join Beaverworx, with no background knowledge required. And members don’t have to be OLOL students, Moore noted, “Anyone that wants to learn – the door’s open.”
When the cost of travelling to attend competitions creates a barrier for students, Moore finds funding.
And Beaverworx helps other Canadian teams travel to tournaments, Grade 9 student Blien Semere told the Advertiser.
Every year, between five and 10 Canadian teams that qualify for the international competition are not able to attend due to funding shortfalls, Semere explained.
So Beaverworx students are “building relationships with the federal government to get grants and assistance with finances” for those teams, she said.
Grade 10 student Robert Kormendi changes the robot’s battery while teacher Michael Moore looks on. Photos by Robin George
Supporting others
During competitions, Beaverworx supports other teams with the “Beaver Fixit Crew.” OLOL students bring a travel cart filled with spare parts, and help other teams when they run into issues, Grade 10 student Angelo Fonte explained.
When the Guelph Police Service had trouble with its robot dog, Beaverworx stepped in to fix it, said Grade 10 student Christoper Ly.
And when a Japanese exchange student expressed interest in setting up a robotics club, Beaverworx provided a suitcase filled with thousands of dollars worth of robot-building materials, as well as the skills to know what to do with them, Moore said.
When the Japanese team runs into problems – the OLOL team helps them find a solution.
Beaverworx team members also teach elementary-aged students about the basics of robotics.
“Its so great watching them get so excited and teaching them real STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills,” Fonte said.
“We’re all about building STEM in our community,” Moore said.
For more information about Beaverworx, visit the team’s website at 2609.ca or check out its Youtube channel at youtube.com/@frc2609.
