Showing posts with label robotics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label robotics. Show all posts

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

Thursday, May 2, 2024

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.
 

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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!

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Team Pronto secures World Championship Qualification despite adversity

Tuesday, April 9, 2024


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


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

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

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

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Shorecrest High School robotics teams do well at state tournament

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

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.


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

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

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.


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

Monday, February 24, 2020

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


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

Friday, April 12, 2019

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




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

Thursday, March 28, 2019

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.



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Come watch Shoreline Schools robotics teams in competition

Thursday, March 21, 2019

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



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Shorecrest to host Highland Games Robotics Tournament on Jan 12

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

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.”



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

Sunday, July 1, 2018

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.



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Echo Lake Robotics Club ranks high in international competition

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

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.



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

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

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.



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

Thursday, April 26, 2018

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.


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Shorecrest students place at underwater drone competition

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

L-R: Haidi Ghobrial, Jack Stoecker, Sam Rowbotham, Eric Yun, Andrew Thompson, Jason Zevenbergen
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

Students from Shorecrest High School's advanced engineering and advanced robotics recently participated in the regional SeaPerch underwater drone competition on March 17. After weeks spent planning and building underwater remote operated vehicles (ROV), three Shorecrest teams made the cut to participate in the regional competition against 27 other teams.

The teams and their ROVs competed through obstacle courses, underwater object movements and presentation of their engineering notebooks to a panel of judges from the U.S. Navy.

All three teams did extraordinarily well for their first competition. Team 6 (Sam Rowbotham and Eric Yun) placed second overall and qualified for the national competition to be held in Dartmouth, Massachusetts this June. Team 6 also took 2nd place in the object movement challenge.

Team 1 (Jason Zevenbergen and Andrew Thompson) placed 3rd in the obstacle course. Teams 1 and 6 were joined in competition by Team 3 (Haidi Ghobrial and Jack Stoecker).

The teams were advised by Kari Potter and Emily Slack.



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Robotic donation from SMART Technologies benefits Mechatronic students

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

From left: Greg McNee, Senior Director Software Development at SMART Technologies and Shoreline instructors Keith Smith, Jeff Purdy, and Kory Dean. Far right: EPSON Prosix robotic arm. Photo courtesy Shoreline CC.


SMART Technologies in Seattle recently donated an Epson Prosix robotic arm to Shoreline Community College’s Mechatronics program, diversifying the robotics education students gain at the College.

“It’s an exciting addition to our training tools,” said robotics instructor Jeff Purdy. “Employers look for a range of robotics experience, and while our graduates have always been able to demonstrate a breadth of knowledge, familiarity with another system, the Epson Prosix, will definitely expand their job readiness.”

Students currently train on five FANUC robots including a welding robot. The Epson Prosix is a six-axis arm on a linear rail, allowing the robot to operate in a larger space than Shoreline’s current arms.

“Epson robots are prevalent in a broad range of industries, even those beyond the manufacturing of aerospace parts, which is a focus of Shoreline’s program. It makes sense for us to introduce students to other robot types that are out there in the automation world,” said Purdy. “It allows students to learn the differences and similarities, and to better prepare for what they might encounter when they go to work.”

SMART Technologies had been looking for a home for the arm when Jim Eanes, a software development engineer at the company, saw an article about the College’s Mechatronics program in The Seattle Times and reached out to Shoreline.

Instructors had already been discussing expanding the robot types offered in the program when SMART made contact about the arm. “It was a win-win,” said Purdy.

The arm arrived at Shoreline’s facility March 2, and students will begin training on it as soon as it’s assembled at the College.

Learn more about Shoreline’s Mechatronics program.



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King's High School student advances to PNW District Robotics Championships

Monday, March 19, 2018

Ruth Buck, King's junior, advances to PNWD Championships
Photo courtesy King's

Ruth Buck, of FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team 4911 CyberKnights, will represent King‘s Schools at the Pacific Northwest District Championship April 5-8, 2018, where she will compete for the opportunity to represent the team at the World Championships later that month.

Ruth, a junior at King's, competed at a local event hosted at Mount Vernon High School and has advanced as a Semi-Finalist to compete with other academically competitive students in the FIRST program.

The Dean’s List Award began in 2010 to celebrate outstanding student leaders whose passion and effectiveness at attaining FIRST ideals is exemplary. In an effort to recognize the leadership and dedication of the FIRST most outstanding FRC students, the Kamen family sponsors this award for the selected top students such as Ruth Buck.

The FIRST Dean’s List Award is awarded to a current student leader who has led their FIRST Robotics Competition team and communities to increase awareness for FIRST and its mission while achieving personal technical expertise and accomplishment, and who will be great leaders of FIRST’s ever-growing student alumni.

Ruth has served to expand the dreams and potential of other students around her.

As a Little Person at four feet and two inches tall, she pushes through academics and robotics with courage, even when hardships come her way. 

Even with these hardships, she has worked around them to be a coach of an all-girls elementary school robotics team, the CyberKnight’s electrical lead-in-training and safety captain, and passionately care for parrots at a bird sanctuary.

Since starting her career in FIRST, she has found a place in her community that helps her develop traits she never knew she would have.

When she was asked how the program has impacted her life, she said, “Once I joined FIRST and went to one of the competitions, I felt like I fit right in. My height doesn’t make me stand out in FIRST. Everyone on every team has their own unique differences and I love that. FIRST is sort of like one big happy family where everyone is treated equally. FIRST has given me a place to fit in and has shown me how amazing engineering is.”

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.

The King’s High School’s award-winning robotics program serves as an educational community within King’s Schools as well asFIRST ® Robotics. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organization that seeks to further education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields and provides an environment in which students can grow academically and acquire skills vital to their professional development such as an exceptional work ethic and problem-solving skills.

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.

From team recruitment, developing student leaders, maintaining a gender-equal team, serving as FIRST ambassadors in outreach, collaborating with each other in a student-lead 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.



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The Unveiling of the Robots

Sunday, February 11, 2018

The auditorium was packed with participants and friends


Text and photos by Steven H. Robinson

King’s High School in Shoreline sponsored the “5th Annual Unveiling Event” to reveal the 2018 Robots from 15 local schools, Boston Massachusetts, Australia, Israel, Uganda, and Viet Nam. Fifteen of the possible 20 teams presented their robots with actual robots, a prototype, drawings, photos or verbal descriptions of their concepts and designs. Video presentations were given from Boston, Australia and Israel.

Behind the curtain, members of the King's
Cyberknights get their robot ready
to be unveiled
Schools represented this year:

  • APEX Seattle Christian (Shoreline); 
  • Cedar Park (Bothell); 
  • Chill Out (Mountlake Terrace); 
  • Cyber Knights Kings High School (Shoreline); 
  • Jack in the Box Jackson High School (Everett); 
  • Royals 2522 Lynnwood High (Lynnwood); 
  • Neutron 125s (Boston, Mass);
  • MASH 4077 Edmonds-Woodway High (Edmonds);
  • Pronto 3070 Shorewood High (Shoreline);
  • Reign 5588 Holy Names Academy (Seattle);
  • Royals 2522 Lynnwood High (Lynnwood); 
  • SCOTBOTS Shorecrest High (Shoreline); 
  • Sonic Squirrels Glacier Peak High (Snohomish); 
  • Team Sea Monsters Bellingham High (Bellingham)


The teams are in their sixth week of design and construction prior to the 2018 FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology founded 1989) Robotics Competition Season.

Shorecrest Scotbots present for the first time
as an independent team

These teams will be battling it out on the field for a chance to compete at the FIRST Robotics World Championship in April. The World Championship will be held in Houston, Texas this year.

The FIRST Robotics Competition is an international high school robotics competition that gives students real-world engineering experience. Under strict rules, limited resources and an intense, six-week time limit, teams are challenged to build and program industrial-size robots to play a difficult field game against like-minded competitors.

Out of state and international teams made their
presentations on video

This year’s game is called FIRST POWER UP. It has a retro arcade vibe, where teams are “trapped” in a video game and must defeat the boss in order to escape.

Holy Names made their presentation


Local competitions will be held in Mount Vernon for the first round and winners will advance to a second competition to be held at Glacier Peak High in Snohomish.

Scot Bots organized this year as their own team, splitting from Pronto 3070 at Shorewood. Holy Names Academy, a Seattle girls' school, fielded the only all female team.


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.


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High school students from across the region unveil 2018 robots at King's event

Saturday, January 20, 2018

2017 Unveiling Event at King's
Photo courtesy King's

5th Annual Unveiling Event scheduled for February 9, 2018

FRC Team 4911 CyberKnights, King’s High School’s robotics team, is proud to announce the 5th annual unveiling event which will be held February 9, 2018 at King’s High School in Shoreline. This is an invitation only event and is not open to the public.

Dozens of robotic teams from high schools across the region, along with numerous teams across the world joining through live stream, will come together to “unveil” the robot they are building for the 2018 FIRST Robotics Competition Season. Just a few short weeks later, these teams will be battling it out on the field for a chance to compete at the FIRST Robotics World Championships in April.

The FIRST Robotics Competition is an international high school robotics competition that gives students real-world engineering experience. Under strict rules, limited resources and an intense, six-week time limit, teams are challenged to build and program industrial-size robots to play a difficult field game against like-minded competitors.

This year’s game is called FIRST POWER UP. It has a retro arcade vibe, where teams are “trapped” in a video game and must defeat the boss in order to escape.

Washington State teams have performed well in the global competition with Viking Robotics from Ballard High School on the winning alliance in 2017.

The unveiling event will start with a catered dinner provided by Red Cork Bistro and Catering. Teams will then take turns unveiling their robots which may include CAD drawings, partially built robots, or completely finished bots. In the FIRST spirit of “coopertition” teams will share ideas and provide feedback to each other to help everyone improve.

“The unveiling event is a highlight of the year for me,” said Madeleine Schwitters, CyberKnights President and VP of Engineering. “It’s so fun to see how the different teams approach the game challenge and to learn from other students.”


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.

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.

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. 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 the 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.



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