Lowry High School hosts VRC Battle in the Mucc

The Lowry High School gym is usually set for basketball, volleyball or wrestling but a different event filled the gym on Saturday, Jan. 21.

Lowry hosted a number of students from northern Nevada in a Vex Robotics challenge, showing the skills the students have developed and built throughout the school year. 

Doral Academy from Reno brought five teams, Damonte Ranch from Reno had two teams and White Pine High School brought two teams as well. Lowry had three teams compete on the day.   

The first event of the year was successful according to Lowry science teacher Scott Santos.

“It was just a challenge to get it off the ground and completed,” Santos said. “The students were excited prior to our home event. Getting in there and seeing what they have been working toward and seeing what other groups have achieved and where the bar is actually at, those students came back to class with a different level of motivation. It was a fun day and want to thank everyone that made it possible.”

Lowry’s 89445C team for finished the qualification matches in second place and was a championship finalist. Lowry’s 89445A team received the event’s Judges Award.

Lowry’s manufacturing technology program that was aided by a grant of $146,000 by the Mining Foundation to start up.

“Robotics is just a small a component of our lab in the classroom,” Santos said. “As industry becomes more automated, they want students working with robotics to learn the automation aspect of it. Being able to compete in robotics makes it more fun for the students, while they learn. The competition gives them something to look forward to and another form of accomplishment.”

Lowry’s coemption field was purchased through a grant with Tesla, which provides funding to the REC Foundation, which is allocated out from there. 

VEX Robotics Competition Spin Up is played on a 12’x12’ square field configured as seen above. Two Alliances – one red and one blue – composed of two teams each, compete in matches consisting of a 15-second Autonomous Period, followed by 1:45 Driver Controlled Period.

The object of the game is to attain a higher score than the opposing Alliance by scoring discs in goals, owning rollers and covering field tiles at the end of the match.

The students have to pick up the discs off the ground and rotate to shoot into their teams goal. If a shot is made in the high goal, the team is awarded five points. If they miss and the disc falls to the low goal, that is a point for the other team. In the last 10 seconds of the competition, there is an expansion period where robots can expand to any dimension that doesn’t go outside the competition field and teams get three points for every title your robot occupies.  

Santos said the students started building their robots in mid-November and it came down to the final days and hours to get the robots ready for the Jan. 21 competition.

He added it is a long process and that a producing and engineering notebook is considered more valuable than winning or competing well in the competition itself. The judges view the notebooks at the event and interview each team. All of that is included in the overall outcome of the event.

The volunteers that served as judges at the event were Jessie Ellingford of Woods Process Services, Joe Sassenrath of Lithium Nevada, Jennifer Jonas of SSR Mining and the head referee was Josef Bilant of Lithium Nevada.  

“We have received a lot of our robotics equipment through grants from Tesla and the REC foundation,” Santos said. “Without the aid and help from them, we probably would not be able to provide this to our students.”

Santos added the Mining Foundation purchased six introductory robotic kits (Clawbot Kit) a few years ago and that they purchased Lowry’s competition kit about a year ago. The Humboldt Foundation also purchased a competition super kit and six coemption starter kit.

“We have a substantial amount of equipment and a lot of students are playing sports and can’t travel for the competitions but this is an experience they need to get as well and they are doing that in the classroom. They get 55 minutes in the classroom and the bell rings and they don’t want to leave. They enjoy what they are doing and it will be great rewards for them after they graduate.”     

This was the first competition for Lowry this year and they plan to travel to Reno on Feb. 11 and may travel to Las Vegas at the end of February for the state competition.

“Without the help of the Mining Foundation, Humboldt Foundation, Tesla and REC Foundation, none of this would be possible for us,” Santos said. “This has given the kids something to look forward to when they come to class every day.”