Local Robotics Team hosting outreach event at Shoreline Library

Born to Build team member working on robot

Local robotics team Born to Build invites middle- and high- schoolers to join them for a demonstration of their robot and introduction to FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC). 

This event occurs at 1:30pm on Saturday, August 8, 2026 at the Shoreline Library 345 NE 175th St, Shoreline WA 98155.

Team working on robot at competition

Team 31065 Born to Build is an FTC robotics team based in south Edmonds. It is a community team made up of local middle and high school students, including public school, private school, and homeschooled students, with volunteer coaches and mentors.

The guts of their robot

Last season, Born to Build was a rookie team, but they put together a competitive robot with a unique catapult design for which they won an award. This year, they are looking to build on their success by learning new engineering skills and expanding their membership. 

Robot in competition

On this team members can learn computer-aided design, construction, programming, troubleshooting, driving, teamwork, and much more!

If interested in the event or have questions, please send an email to ftc.born.to.build@gmail.com. 

For more information, see the team’s website

--Photos courtesy Born to Build

Read more...

Shorecrest High School VEX Robotics team does well in league play

Shorecrest Robotics Team
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

Congratulations are in order for the Shorecrest High School VEX Robotics team's results at their last night of league play, which was an exciting night!

• 6 of the 8 teams competed in the final elimination
• 3 teams made it to semi finals
• 1 team made it to the last match but had a heart-wrenching battery failure during the tournament

Shares advisor Kari Potter, "Everyone performed so well, and I'm super proud of our students!"

The top Shorecrest team in league competition was team M. These students will be competing in the state tournament in March: 

• Leon Hardt
• Ryan Amberg
• Greyson Grams
• Ethan Urquhart
• Carrot Yuen

Read more...

Get your car shining and support student robotics

Photo courtesy Shoreline Robotics

Get your car shining and support student robotics at the same time

When you buy Brown Bear Car Wash tickets through this form, a portion of every purchase funds robotics teams in the Shoreline School District.

Your support helps students build real robots, learn coding, practice teamwork, and develop design and video skills for FRC, VEX, and TSA competitions.

Fill out this form to order your washes and keep hands-on STEM learning rolling.

The fundraiser closes February 11, 2026 and tickets will arrive 7-10 business days after that.

If you would like to learn more about Shoreline Robotics Society, please visit our website

Read more...

Fundraiser for Team Pronto at SPUD Fish & Chips in Edmonds on May 3, 2025

Support Team Pronto at SPUD Fish & Chips, 174 Sunset Ave, Edmonds WA 98020 on Saturday May 3, 2025 by letting the cashier know you are with "Team Pronto" when you order food!

All day - 11am to 8pm

Team Pronto 3070 is a robotics team based at Shorewood High School. Students compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition and build a robot for a game that changes every year.

The team is comprised of students from around the Shoreline area. To learn more, visit their website.

5-2-2025 Added hours

Read more...

Team Pronto FRC 3070 makes strong showing at Sammamish High School Robotics competition

Shoreline's Team Pronto includes students from Shorewood, Shorecrest, homeschool, and private schools.

By Veronica Cook

This weekend, Team Pronto FRC 3070 had the honor of participating in our first competition since our success at the FIRST Robotics World Championship last spring. The event, held at Sammamish High School in Bellevue, saw us compete against 30 other talented teams from across the Pacific Northwest.

We gave it our all, both on and off the field. In addition to our robot’s performance, we volunteered to help the host team judge the local FIRST Lego Robotics competition, which was taking place at the same event. 

Dressed in our signature safety orange shirts and unicorn hats, we made quite the impression—so much so that the MC joked we could be seen from “10 zip codes away.” 

And if you could hear us, you could also feel the excitement as we cheered on our drive team while they worked to clean the coral in “Reefscape.”

Our efforts were recognized when we were chosen as the first pick in the 6th alliance by Team 1899, Saints Robotics of Bellevue. Team 1294, Pack of Parts of Sammamish, rounded out the alliance as the second pick.

Though we faced a tough loss in our first match in the finals, sending us to the lower bracket, we didn’t back down. We clawed our way through two intense matches—first defeating the 7th alliance, then overcoming the 5th alliance, despite being given only a 38% chance of winning. 

Our journey ended in the lower bracket when we were eventually eliminated by the 4th alliance, securing a solid 4th-place finish.

It was an exciting and incredibly long weekend, but it only fueled our passion and determination for what’s next. 

We’ll be back at it tomorrow, refining our robot for our next competition at Auburn High School from March 21-23, 2025. We can’t wait to continue pushing our limits and representing Team Pronto with pride.

We also want to take the opportunity to recognize our original mentor, Joe Tinoco, who was nominated for the prestigious Woodie Flowers Mentor Award. 

We are so fortunate to have him and all of our other mentors, who gave up their entire weekend to support us and will continue to dedicate their evenings as we prepare for our next competition. We couldn’t do it without them.

Finally, we want to thank all of our families who helped us cheer on Team Pronto and contributed to making us one of the largest teams represented in the stands. 

Other teams even asked us how we managed to get such strong parent participation on our team. Your support has certainly set a standard that other teams are now hoping to replicate. We truly made a Unicorn Stampede!

Our team is based at Shorewood High School and made up of students from Shorecrest and Shorewood, as well as homeschool and private school students in the Shoreline area. If you are interested in joining, please send us an email at 3070executive@gmail.com!

And stay tuned as we prepare for the next stage of the competition season!

Read more...

Shoreline Team Pronto robotics team competed at FIRST Robotics World Championships in Houston TX

Team Pronto with advisors and supporters, including Shoreline Schools Superintendent Susana Reyes, center in black team shirt. Team Advisor Wes Proudlove is directly behind her and Volunteer Veronica Cook is second from right.

April 17-20, 2024 the Shoreline Team Pronto FRC Robotics team, composed of students from Shorewood and Shorecrest high schools, showcased their exceptional talent and spirit at the 2024 FIRST Robotics World Championships held in Houston, Texas.

This year’s competition, known as CRESCENDO, brought together 600 teams from 15 countries and 48 states, across 8 fields. Despite the fierce competition, Team Pronto made their mark on the Archimedes field, securing an impressive 22nd rank out of 75 teams.

In addition to their outstanding performance on the field, Team Pronto was honored with the prestigious Team Spirit Award. This accolade celebrates their extraordinary enthusiasm, partnership, and teamwork, which align perfectly with the core values of FIRST Robotics. For a small team at the event, they made a bright presence.

The Judges said about Team Pronto, “With unparalleled enthusiasm and fiery zeal, this team champions safety in their community. Their unicorns bring a touch of magic and free fist bumps to anyone they meet. If you need Pluggy, he’ll be right there, Pronto!“ Pluggie is a robotic fire hydrant that Team Pronto rebuilt for the Shoreline Fire Department.

"We are incredibly proud to represent the Shoreline School District on a global stage," said Joaquin Cordova, junior at Shorewood. "We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Superintendent Susana Reyes and all our supporters whose unwavering encouragement made this journey possible."

Thanks to volunteer extraordinaire Veronica Cook for the recap and photos, in addition to her invaluable support of the team and advisor Wes Proudlove!

And what a super superintendent to take a break from her Courageous Conversations About Race conference, also in Houston, and head over to support her students!

While this may have been Team Pronto's inaugural trip to the World Championships, their remarkable skill and talent assure us it will not be their last. As they continue to inspire and innovate, Team Pronto embodies the spirit of FIRST Robotics.

Congratulations to Team Pronto on their outstanding performance, and best wishes for their future endeavors.

 

Read more...

Shorecrest robotics team competes in WORLDS Vex Robotics competition in Dallas

Team SADMEP at Worlds competition in Dallas TX
Photo by Kari Potter

Shorecrest High School's Team SADMEP (that's PEMDAS backward, because they are always taking apart their robot) attended the WORLDS Vex Robotics competition in Dallas, Texas over Spring Break.

820 teams were invited from over 50 countries (only 16 from Washington). It was AMAZING, and the students represented Shorecrest and Washington well! 

They had a solid performance every match and ended in about the middle of their division. Many of their matches were within 20 points, which is very close in the robot world!

Congratulations to the members of Team SADMEP:

• Jared Atherton
• Lydia Chin*
• Ameli Graff
• Thomas Linville
• Ole Lynass

*Lydia had a family vacation and couldn't come physically, but notice in the team picture, she is FaceTiming on Ameli's phone!

And thanks to advisor Kari Potter for the write-up, photos, and her leadership of the Vex Robotics club!

Read more...

Team Pronto secures World Championship Qualification despite adversity

Team Pronto, a resilient and determined robotics team composed of Shorewood and Shorecrest students, faced formidable challenges at the recent District Championship Event this last weekend. 

Despite statistically having one of the most challenging schedules among the 50 competing teams, Team Pronto showcased their tenacity and skill, maintaining a remarkable 15th place ranking in the district.

Despite encountering minimal support from alliance partners, Team Pronto's robot, affectionately named 'Sparkles,' continued to demonstrate exceptional performance throughout the event. 

Their perseverance paid off as they secured a spot at the upcoming World Championship, scheduled to take place in Houston from April 16-21, 2024.

Now, with their qualification secured, Wes Proudlove and the team are gearing up for the journey ahead, where they will be accompanied by 11 students and 'Sparkles' to represent their community on the global stage. The team acknowledges the significant logistical and financial planning required for this endeavor.

"We are incredibly proud of our team's resilience and determination," said Veronica Cook, mentor at Team Pronto. 

"Securing a spot at the World Championship is a testament to our hard work and dedication. Now, as we prepare for this exciting opportunity, we are reaching out to our community for support to ensure that every team member can participate in this once-in-a-lifetime experience."

To support Team Pronto's journey to the World Championship in Houston and contribute to their success, donations can be made at their official website

Read more...

Shoreline’s Team Pronto 'Sparkles" at Sammamish High School robotics event

Team Pronto at the Sammamish competition
Photo courtesy Team Pronto

Shoreline’s esteemed robotics team, Team Pronto, showcased yet another remarkable display of skill and innovation this past weekend at Sammamish High School. With their meticulously crafted robot, "Sparkles," the team navigated through a series of intense qualification matches, emerging as the captain of the #5 alliance.

Their exceptional performance caught the attention of higher ranked teams, earning them an invitation to join forces with the formidable #1 alliance, alongside Captain Code Purple of Lake Washington High School and the Iron Patriots of Liberty High School. As a united front, they fought valiantly in the challenging Championship matches, ultimately securing the distinguished position of the 2nd place alliance.

Adding to their accolades, Team Pronto was honored with the coveted Quality award, a testament to the reliability and precision engineering of their robot, "Sparkles."

Following their outstanding achievements at both the Auburn and Sammamish events, Team Pronto is set to advance to the highly anticipated District Championships in Portland from April 3-6. Currently holding the esteemed #5 ranking in the Pacific Northwest, the team is poised to continue their winning streak.

The success of Team Pronto would not have been possible without the unwavering support of their community. The team extends heartfelt gratitude to the parents, dedicated alumni, community mentors, Kari Potter (SRS board member and Shorecrest Teacher), Director Betnel, and Superintendent Reyes for their enthusiastic encouragement throughout the event.

Their presence and cheers amplified the sense of accomplishment for Team Pronto, making the experience all the more memorable.

This is all amazing and expensive. donate to their success here

--Veronica Cook

Read more...

Shorecrest High School robotics teams do well at state tournament

Team A - Lemon Pi won the judges award for the entire state
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

The VEX Robotics Competition, presented by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, is the largest and fastest growing middle school and high school robotics program globally with more than 20,000 teams from 50 countries playing in over 1,700 competitions worldwide.

Team C - Aegis - made it to the finals
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

Each year, an exciting engineering challenge is presented in the form of a game. Students, with guidance from their teachers and mentors, build innovative robots and compete year-round.

Shorecrest High School sent five teams to the state conference in Kirkland on March 9, 2024.

• Team A - Lemon Pi - won the Judges Award for the entire state.
• Team B (Sadmep) and Team C (Aegis) played in the final eliminations.

Team B - Sadmep will be going to state
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

Team B (Jared Atherton, Lydia Chin, Ameli Graff, Ole Lynass, and Thomas Linville) ended up 8th in the state for their skills score, and this score qualified them for a spot at VEX WORLDS! 

This is the first time a Shorecrest team has made it to Worlds in VEX.

Read more...

Shoreline's Team Pronto excels at robotics competition in Auburn WA

Team Pronto at Pacific Northwest Auburn competition 
Photo courtesy Team Pronto

By Veronica Cook

Team Pronto, the distinguished Robotics Team representing Shoreline, made waves with their stellar performance at the recent competition hosted at Auburn High School. Demonstrating exceptional skill and teamwork, they emerged as the Captain of the #1 alliance after completing rigorous qualification matches.

The formidable drive team, comprised of talented students from Shorecrest and Shorewood including Ben Feinberg, Rhys Alderton, Joaquin Cordova, Garrett Jordan, Alex Stege, and Anthony Ung, showcased unwavering determination and precision throughout the event.

Noteworthy was the strategic alliance forged by our Scouting Captain, Kirill Huizenga, uniting Team CPR from Cedar Park Christian School and Team Aldernating Current from Shelton School District. Together, these three teams navigated unforeseen challenges with grace and resilience.

Despite an initial setback in the first match, Team Pronto rallied admirably, ultimately clinching victory at the Pacific Northwest District Event. This impressive feat secured not only the Championship Banner but also earned them the esteemed Autonomous Award for their exceptional and consistent robot programming.

See the video of the final competition that won the event for Team Pronto

Acknowledging the collective effort of all 30 dedicated students, it was their unwavering teamwork and embodiment of Gracious Professionalism that garnered accolades throughout the competition.

Looking ahead, the team stands on the brink of qualifying for the World Championship Competition in Houston, a milestone made possible by the tireless dedication of its members. However, the financial implications of such an endeavor, estimated at $100,000, pose a significant challenge.

To support Team Pronto in their remarkable journey and ensure continued success, interested parties are invited to contribute to the Shoreline Robotics Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Robotics Teams and fostering STEM education in Shoreline. 

Donations can be made here or by following the QR code.

Read more...

King’s Schools CyberKnights hosts 6th Annual PNW Robot Unveiling event

Robot unveiling event at King's
Photo courtesy Team 4911 CyberKnights

On Saturday, February 15, 2020, the 4911 CyberKnights robotics team, composed of King's High School students grades 9-12, organized and hosted the 6th Annual Unveiling event for robotics students around the greater Seattle area. 

The CyberKnights are a seven year FIRST® Robotic Competition (FRC) team and hold the event for other FRC teams to attend. Unveiling consists of team socializing, a dinner and desserts provided by parents, and presentations of the teams’ progress. 

Over the course of the evening, there were about 200 attendees and 16 FRC teams, (along with over 70 live-stream viewings) that came to present their robots and Computer Aided Design (CAD) files.

The event gave teams the opportunity to network as they finish modifications to their robot designs before the first competition of the 2019-2020 season. This event is a great chance to assist all teams by make connections with other teams and gaining information from more experienced competitors.

Unveiling is very important to the CyberKnights as explained by the head coach, Stephanie Morrison, 

“Community building is really important. Build season can be really isolating… at the end it’s really hard, but to take a couple hours and see the products of others and have other people see your product and give you advice it gives you motivation to keep going. It always makes me more excited for competitions to start.”

In 2014, the First Annual Unveiling event was held by the CyberKnights when the team observed there was no other event like it in the Greater Seattle Area. 

Therefore, creating an event for teams to dine, socialize with each other, and share their ideas about the upcoming competition season came into existence. The essence of Unveiling is to connect with other teams in the area and create a stress-free environment for the hardworking students, which is what the CyberKnights hope to continue in the years to come.

To learn more about the 4911 CyberKnights or the FIRST® program in general, please contact us at 4911businessteam@gmail.com

Team 4911 CyberKnights
A Washington FIRST® Robotics Team
King's High School, Shoreline WA

Read more...

Robotics Students Advance for the 10th consecutive year to FIRST® World Championships in Houston April 17-20

CyberKnights

By Hannah Te, King's High School junior, member of CyberKnights

Exploring in a galaxy far, far away is the CyberKnights, from King’s High School in Seattle. We are a group of students on a robotics team that work cohesively together to build a unique competitive robot.

The organization that we are part of is called FIRST® Robotics -- For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. They provide opportunities for teams like us to build our dreams into reality. During this build season, we developed robots according to this year’s game specifications and theme: Destination: Deep Space, presented by the Boeing Company.

CyberKnights robot goes out to do battle

The Pacific Northwest District Championship consists of teams from Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. Out of 155 teams, only 64 teams qualified to compete at the District Championship. 

We placed 2nd as one of the highest scoring bots in our district. Robotics competitions run similarly to basketball tournaments: each team plays against each other, and whoever wins that set of matches proceeds. The statistics from our qualification match performance are pretty impressive with a record of 10-2.

We would like to thank Aumsville High School, McMinnville High School, and Newport High School for competing with us in our final rounds.

Finally, after all of these statistics and facts comes the best part: we qualified to go to the Houston FIRST World Championships for the 11th consecutive year!

For more information about CyberKnights on Instagram (@cyberknights), Twitter (@frcteam4911), and Facebook (@King’s High School FRC Robotics 4911)

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.

FIRST is More Than Robots. FIRST participation is proven to encourage students to pursue education and careers in STEM-related fields, inspire them to become leaders and innovators and enhance their 21st-century work-life skills.

Team cheer - getting ready for battle

About CyberKnights
The CyberKnights seek to inspire interest and passion for science and technology while preparing students to become industry leaders in tomorrow’s competitive global marketplace.

The King’s High School’s award-winning robotics program serves as an educational community within King’s Schools as well as FIRST Robotics.

The CyberKnights serve as the founding team of King’s Robotics, a group of FIRST Robotics Competition, FIRST Tech Challenge, FIRST Lego League, and FIRST Lego League Jr. teams. In its endeavor to successfully embody FIRST values and goals, the CyberKnights seek to create a team culture that sustains their community for years to come.

Inspection

From team recruitment, developing student leaders, maintaining a gender-equal team, serving as FIRST ambassadors in outreach, collaborating with each other in a student-led environment and asking corporations to support them as the next generation of leaders, the CyberKnights strive to be an organization of people impacting the world for FIRST.

Starting in 2009 in FIRST Tech Challenge with eight students, the CyberKnights have inspired over 10% of King’s Schools K-12 students to participate in FIRST programs. CyberKnights Alumni have gone on to pursue fields in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), and return to invest in the program as mentors for the current team. The team continues to develop its members in leadership, collaboration, and communication skills.

Mikel Thompson is Head Coach
Team 4911 CyberKnights
FIRST® Robotics Competition
King's High School, Seattle, WA

Photos courtesy CyberKnights

Read more...

Robotics teams show agility and strategy at Glacier Peak meet - will be in Auburn this weekend

2015 competition
Photo by Wayne Pridemore

This past weekend the robotics teams from Shoreline School District competed at Glacier Peak High School against 36 other schools.

Both Team Pronto and Team ScotBot competed with honor and tenacity showing the STEM skills that had been garnered over the past build season. It was a tough battle and robots did break but were always repaired in time to compete again in another match.

ScotBots pillow topped designed scoring robot functioned well and could score point almost at will.  Team Pronto hatch installing robot worked well and scored points, also installing hatches, but the students decided to change up strategies three rounds into the event and make the robot into a defensive machine.

The defensive strategy paid off. Team Pronto could hold opposing robots from scoring and all around mess with opposing team's plans on scoring.

The fast paced defense and quick driving earned Team Pronto the admiration and fear of other teams so much so Team Pronto was asked to be in the final rounds with much higher ranked teams.

Team Pronto and its alliance teams battled hard and won the first round of the finals competition but then fell in the second round to the eventual overall competition winners.

Many thanks to all the Shoreline people who came to cheer on our students and our teams. This upcoming weekend both teams will be in action again at Auburn High School Saturday and Sunday. 

Our students look forward to not only competing but to also having a large cheering section so please come see our kids compete.

Auburn High School, 711 E Main St, Auburn 98002.

Read more...

Come watch Shoreline Schools robotics teams in competition

A robotics competition at Shorecrest in 2017

It's that time of year when Shoreline School District's FRC Robotics Teams have competitions.

Team Pronto 3070 and Team ScotBot 7118 are about to embark on the robotics year with a competition this weekend at Glacier Peak High School in Snohomish County.

Both teams and all 40 students are excited to show off their hard work and STEM skills.

If you would like to come up and cheer on our kids your welcome to do so and best of all its free to watch.

Glacier Peak High School is located at 7401 144th Pl SE, Snohomish.

This is a family friendly event but limited food will be available for sale at the event so pack a lunch and drinks and come watch the fun.

If you can not make it this weekend next weekend both teams will be in action again in Auburn at Auburn High School 711 E Main St, Auburn.

Action at both events start on Saturday and Sunday at 8am and end Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at around 4pm. Come early to see the action and stay for the fun!

--Wes Proudlove and Veronica Cook, Head Mentors/Advisors

Read more...

Shorecrest to host Highland Games Robotics Tournament on Jan 12

2018 competition
Otis is the name of the school mascot
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

Student robotics teams from around the region will converge on Shorecrest High School, 15343 25th Ave. NE, this Saturday, January 12, for the annual Highland Games Tournament.

The event will be held in the school’s gymnasium from 10:00am - 4:30pm and is free to attend.

Over 30 teams, including ones from Shorecrest and Cascade K-8, will compete in scored competitions throughout the day using robots they designed, built and control using VEX Robotics kits.

Spectators are totally engaged in watching the action
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

Teams earn points by making their robots toss balls at flags, flipping cones and climbing platforms. Teams will earn judged awards and also compete in a single elimination tournament the last hour of the event. You can see a preview of this year's competition site layout and rules HERE.

“This is a really exciting event, not only for the students competing, but also the spectators. You really get into it.” said Kari Potter, Shorecrest’s robotics team advisor. 

“We hope to see a lot of people here to support the Shorecrest and Cascade K-8 teams.”

Read more...

Special Olympic's 2018 games to include demo of Unified Robotics program stated at Kings' High School

Delaney and Kendall Foster
2016 at King's High School

UNIFIED ROBOTICS DEMO 

2018 USA GAMES

Empowering Every Student Through Robotics

This year, the Special Olympics’ 2018 USA Games will feature a plethora of sports ranging from soccer to stand up paddle board; however, for the first time ever, the games will welcome a new, untraditional sport -- robotics.

Launched in 2015, this “sport for the mind” challenges students with and without intellectual disabilities to work together to design, construct, and program a LEGO Mindstorms robot for competition. 

Often, students with intellectual disabilities are left out of opportunities for hands-on learning in STEM.

Founder of the program and at the time a senior at King’s High School, Delaney Foster saw this first hand and became determined to create an inclusive environment filled with STEM for her sister Kendall, who is on the autism spectrum.

As a part of the program students with intellectual disabilities are not only able to participate in STEM, they are also the leaders, designers, builders and programmers behind the robot.

Since its start at King’s High School, Unified Robotics has expanded to 40 teams that competed in the Unified Robotics Championship held last November. Unified Robotics is well on its way to becoming a nationwide sport as teams have formed in five different states.

Because of the generous support from Microsoft, FIRST Robotics, and Pacific Science Center, Special Olympics Unified Robotics can be brought to schools for little, or no, cost.

The Special Olympics Games will be featuring a Unified Robotics Demo in the Fan Zone Stage in the North Parking Lot within the Husky Stadium from 9:30 to 10:00am on Monday, July 2nd.

Teams from six different schools will compete in a sumo-robot competition that mirrors the November Championship in which robots battle head-to-head to push each other out of the ring.

Be there to cheer on teams from Newport High School, Issaquah High School, King’s High School, Ballard High School, Auburn High School, and Ingraham High School.

Read more...

Echo Lake Robotics Club ranks high in international competition

L-R: Katerina Sitaras, Inara Cutler, Mak Kanzler, Xavier MacDonald and Hyeon Kim
Their teams placed in the top 140 out of 7,100 teams from 63 countries
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

When Echo Lake Elementary 4th grade teacher Shari Wennik started an after-school robotics and coding club this year, she probably didn’t imagine they would place in the top two percent of teams competing in a global robotics competition, but that is exactly what they did.

Two of Wennik’s robotics teams placed in the top 140 out of 7,100 teams from 63 countries who recently competed in the Wonder League Robotics Competition.

The students learned creative problem solving, coding and robotics by competing against more than 22,000 students in collaborative teams to design solutions to science and technology challenges. They submitted their results and evidence through the online competition platform.

The two teams from Wennik’s club who made the top 140 were:

• Team Blooper Video (Inara Cutler and Katerina Sitaras) 
• We Don’t Come in Peace (Mak Kanzler, Hyeon Kim and Xavier MacDonald)

"The students had worked extremely hard on all of the different coding challenges since October, so the five months of weekly problem-solving, teamwork and creativity really paid off," said Wennik. 

"The teams definitely earned their spot in the finals and it was such an honor to qualify, especially in our first year and with so many teams competing."

The Wonder League is a growing, worldwide network of elementary coding and robotics clubs using Wonder Workshop’s program to inspire an early love of coding, computer science and STEM education. Teams of students with access to one set of Dash and Dot robots, which students program using code, and participate in the robotics competition where they develop problem-solving and creativity skills through learning to code.

“As the advisor, what I witnessed in terms of learning went way beyond coding; it was really about perseverance,” said Wennik. 

“The best part was watching the students solve extremely difficult problems; countless times they could have given up, but teammates bounced ideas off of each other until they came up with a solution that worked. I absolutely love seeing this grit in students and I know that trait will serve them well no matter what they choose to do in the future.”

Echo Lake Elementary is located in north central Shoreline at 19345 Wallingford Ave N.

Read more...

King's high school students to host benefit concert for Robotics team in Uganda

CyberKnights Uganda

Concert will be held Friday, May 11, 2018 at 7:00pm in Mike Martin Gym at King’s High School

Students from King’s High School in Shoreline have formed a Classical Rock band called “Right Turn Only” and are set to perform a concert on May 11, 2018, 7pm at Mike Martin Gym.

Students are donating all proceeds to the Beacon of Hope School, Pilgrim Africa in Soroti, Uganda.

The students of “Right Turn Only” have partnered with King’s High School ASB representatives, as well as the King’s High School FRC Robotics Team 4911 CyberKnights.

The King’s High School Robotics team has worked closely with the Beacon of Hope School before, as they started the first East African FTC Robotics Team, CyberKnights Uganda, five years ago.

The CyberKnights have maintained a close relationship with the Beacon of Hope School, visiting nearly every summer and video-chatting throughout the year. The STEM program and robotics team at the Beacon of Hope School has now proven to be sustainable, as the team has competed in international competitions such as GISUTECH, where they were gold medalists, and received national news coverage. The money raised at the benefit concert will be used to financially support the construction of a new robotics lab in Uganda.

The concert is open to the public and the students are looking forward to inviting in members of their local community. Tickets can be purchased online for $10 for students, $15 for adults, and $20 at the door.

Pilgrim Africa is an international non-profit organization based in Seattle with the goal of helping to create a sustainable community of prosperity and health in Africa. In 2006, Pilgrim Africa started the Beacon of Hope School in Soroti, Uganda, as a place where former child soldiers could be educated.

The CyberKnights seek to inspire an interest and passion for science and technology while preparing students to become industry leaders in tomorrow’s competitive global marketplace.

Read more...

King's Cyberknights robotics team takes second place at World Championship

CyberKnights 4911 at World Competition
Photo courtesy King's

King’s High School’s FRC robotics team CyberKnights 4911 won second place overall at the 2018 FIRST Robotics World Competition in Houston this past weekend against 3,700 teams internationally.

Team members with their robot
Photo courtesy King's

The CyberKnights also became the first Pacific Northwest team (Washington, Oregon, Alaska) to qualify as an Einstein final alliance captain. Alliance captains form and run the alliance, determined strategy, etc. This is an extremely small group of teams historically. There have been a total of 7200 teams in the 27 year history of FRC and only 0.6% of them, or 43 unique teams, have qualified as Einstein final alliance captains.

CyberKnights Coach Mikel Thompson said, “For me it was the run of a lifetime, the stuff of dreams. We are in the top .6% of teams in FRC and we are only a 5th year team!  

"The team was amazing on all fronts, not only running the robot on the field, but in strategy, scouting, negotiating… they played the best teams in the world and beat all but one! 

"Our partners, 2910 Jack in the Bot from Jackson High School here in Mill Creek, 4499 The Highlanders from Colorado and 5006 Apophis from Arkansas were absolutely amazing. We could not have done it without them.”

Teams from six countries competed
Photo courtesy King's

For the Knights, the four day competition brimmed with exciting moments. After the first two days in Houston, the CyberKnights were 9-1 and ranked 1st out of 68 teams from 6 countries in the Carver Division. From there, they chose great alliance partners and went on to win the Carver division advancing for the first time ever to the international finals called Einstein. At Einstein, they were named alliance captains and won four of their first five matches placing them in the top two teams in the world. 

Photo courtesy King's

In the final rounds, the CyberKnights fell 0-2 to the Cheesy Poofs 254, a team from Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose, CA and their alliance partners, one of which, the Spartabots, is also from the Northwest, Skyline High School in Sammamish. The Cheesy Poofs had a perfect season 54-0.

King’s High School Principal Bob Ruhlman, who traveled with the team, said, “I am super proud of our kids, Coach Mikel Thompson, our mentors and our volunteers. That was unbelievable fun!” He also extended a congratulations to the Cheesy Poofs and their alliance partners for their win and great season.

Photo courtesy King''s

On their Facebook page, the CyberKnights thanked “their amazing coach, Mikel Thompson, all of their mentors and sponsors and King’s Schools for all of the support.” King’s Schools will hold a special assembly and school parade for the CyberKnights this Friday, April 27, at 2:15pm.

Want to see what it's all about? Here's the video.

Read more...