The Houston Robotics program came from a humble beginning in 2014 with a storage space in a closet in the shop classroom. At the Houston School Board meeting March 6, Coach Bob Carlson and students William Carlson and John Lee demonstrated their most recent robot to the board. The robotics team had just recently returned from a three-day regional tournament held in Duluth.
The team had been given six weeks to build a robot to perform specific routines such as picking up a peg and placing it in a certain place. Some of the tasks were unknown until they reached the competition.They were given a 160-page manual in advance which spelled out the rules and expectations. One of the specifications was that the robot was not to exceed 115 pounds; in order to meet the weight limit, the team drilled holes into the robot’s framework.
Students do a variety of work on the robotics team in addition to the actual building of the robot. Some are in charge of the wiring, some do social media, fundraising or even scouting (just as sports teams do). Learning to drive the robot skillfully was another important duty.
The robots are evolving, becoming more and more complicated each year. This year’s robot was equipped with 3D printed gears; a CDC router made some of the building work easier. The robot is able to move in all directions and spin. Some of the team put in more than eight hours a week to build the robot. John Lee, who has been on the team since he was in seventh grade, enthused, “We’ve improved a lot since then!”
Code libraries are available for the team to use as they work. The team is sponsored by local businesses; AcenTek gives each of the Houston County teams $5,000 to support them.
At the competition, a part broke and the team had to “throw something together to work” using PVC pipe according to William Carlson. Many of the teams Houston competed against drew from a much larger student base. The winning team was made up of a group of students from seven high schools, each with around 2,000 students. Houston had a “really high participation rate” compared to that team and was able to compete with them.
The board encouraged the team to take their robot on an excursion to the elementary to show students some of their future opportunities.
Co-op Sports
During the public comment period, Kendra VanGundy addressed the board about the cooperative with Caledonia for wrestling. VanGundy had attended a varsity parent meeting with Morem and the wrestling coach; she felt that they wanted to continue in the co-op. VanGundy stated that she felt the Houston wrestlers were not treated fairly. One example she gave was that only a few Houston wrestlers were invited to attend a recent camp.
VanGundy has asked for Houston’s total costs as part of the co-op. She asked that another meeting be held to which youth wrestling parents would also be invited. According to VanGundy, the youth program has great numbers, but few continue to wrestle as high schoolers in the co-op.
When the board discussed the issue, Arlin Peterson stated that he felt both varsity and youth wresting parents should be invited for another meeting.
Nickki Johnson mentioned that the data that had been shared showed that a majority of varsity parents still wished to continue with the co-op.
Mimi Carlson asked what the minimum number would be for Houston to have its own wrestling program. The board decided to hold another meeting which would include youth wrestling parents as well as send out a survey.
Morem has had preliminary discussions with other districts regarding co-op sports. No decisions were made on any co-ops at this time.
Regular Business
Regular business conducted by the board included:
• Acknowledging bus and van drivers as Hurricane Heroes; both the student board representatives and the rest of the board expressed their appreciation;
• Hearing that a Musical Club open to students grades 4-12 was recently started;
• Approving the school calendar for 2025-2026 with a two week Christmas break;
• Approving a grant application for an AED (automated external defibrillator) to be submitted to NFHS (National Federation of State High School Association);
• Accepting donations of $454 for One Act, $100 for After Prom and a total of $4,982 for the Dance Team.
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