The East Grand Rapids High School robotics program is expensive. Every year, the program has a budget of tens of thousands of dollars. For several years, the Foundation has given the program enough funds to qualify at their highest donor level.
This school year, in addition to a $5,000 grant from the Foundation to cover competition entry fees, the robotics program had another big ask: $3,056.76 for a new 3D printer. That would bring the Foundation’s contribution to the robotics program to more than $8,000.
A big ask. So, we went to check out the program.
There’s a phrase EGRHS Robotics Team 5980 likes to use: “It’s not about the robot.” Seeing team members gathered in the high school library on a winter Tuesday night makes that abundantly clear.
One of the longstanding goals of the Foundation is to help students find their passion, wherever that might be. Some students are athletes, some are performers, some are visual artists, some are gifted academically, and there are many more who haven’t yet found what they love to do.
That’s why we fund so many things in all our schools that help students find their activity, whatever that is. Ukulele Club, Fly Fishing Club, and Rock Climbing Club are just a few examples. And Robotics is one more, a big one.
Robotics in our schools begins in elementary school with FIRST Lego League, continues with Middle School Robotics, and culminates at the high school with Team 5980. In talking to the team, it’s obvious that many of them have found what they love to do.
After a long discussion, the Foundation’s board decided to approve the grant request for the new printer. To hear them talk about it, the printer has made a huge difference in the program. Asked if the grant met their goals, assistant coach Kurtis Lehman says, “Yes! The printer has given us the ability to not only print parts for the robot but also to prototype different parts to see how they would work or fit with other parts. It allowed students to learn how to 3D model different aspects of the robot and then to see the parts that they created on the printer. The amount of knowledge/skills gained was more than expected. For the first time, we modeled the robot fully in CAD and then had students take certain parts to have them printed out in various materials.
“A new and fun learning experience for the robotics program to design and implement new parts as a part of the build process of the robot.”
Thank you, Foundation donors, for providing this technology for our students!
