Sequim High School Robotics Club’s
Luau and silent auction fundraiser
6-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1
Sequim High School cafeteria, 601 N. Sequim Ave.
Traditional Polynesian dinner, live drumming and auction.
$15 per person in advance from SHS, $20 at the door
In the movie world, designers put a lot of time and money into designing and fabricating famous robots like R2-D2, Wall-E and Robocop.
In the real world, Sequim students look for some help to invest in their next robot that could be heading into deep space.
The Sequim High School Robotics Club hosts its fourth luau and auction fundraiser at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, in the school’s cafeteria with a tropical meal, live drumming, auction items, engineering challenges and more.
Co-mentors Brad Moore and Stu Marcy said the luau is a key part to the club’s fundraising efforts for robotics parts, competition registration fees and travel expenses.
Tickets are available at the school and from club members in advance for $15 or the door for $20.
Marcy said this year’s team is the biggest ever with 25 participants, which is up from 15 last year.
“We’re getting better at this and we’re getting a reputation,” he said of the students.
“STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers are becoming more dominant too.”
Moore said the club has been meeting once a week this school year but things will step up on Jan. 5 for the national kickoff where they learn of their goals.
Right now, all the team has to go on is a “Deep Space” theme and a 1-minute online video teaser.
“Every year, it’s a little different,” Moore said. “That’s the fun of it.”
Generally, rules stay the same for the robots’ motor size and other elements but the obstacles change, he said.
“That’s why you can’t just reuse the same robot from the year before,” Moore said.
Nine years
This school year marks nine years for the robotics team.
Two school years ago, Sequim High sent nine students for the first time to the FIRST Robotics World Championship in Houston, Texas.
Sequim, one of 400 worldwide teams, was split into one of six competition fields where they placed 42nd out of 66 teams.
“It was great because they were able to compete at the same level as teams from across the world,” Moore said.
For the immediate future, the team is focused on the luau, but come January, the team will focus on making their robot just right for their first competition in March in Mount Vernon. If they do well enough at competitions, they may qualify again for the World championships again in April.
But teammates aren’t just building, Moore said, they’re also working on marketing, public relations, safety, artistic elements, strategy and more.
Each year, students design the team’s T-shirts, too.
More on the luau
Club organizers for the Sequim Robotics Federation say this season will cost about $25,000 with the luau and auction hopefully bringing in about $10,000 of that.
Moore and Marcy said just the robotics kit costs close to $7,000 to purchase.
Marcy serves as auctioneer for the evening asking for bids on everything from donated community goods to student labor for cleaning yards, tech support and/or hanging Christmas lights.
All donations are tax-deductible, and checks can also be made to “Sequim High School, 601 N. Sequim Ave., Sequim, WA, 98382,” with “Robotics Club” in the memo line.
For more information on the club, contact Sequim High School at (360) 582-3600, or Stu Marcy at stumarcy@sequimschools.org or Lori Conroy at loriconroy88@gmail.com.
Learn more about the club at its website sequimroboticsfederation.weebly.com and watch competitions online at thebluealliance.com.
Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
Team members of the Sequim High School Robotics Club, also known as the Sequim Robotics Federation, attempt to hula at last year’s luau for the team. The annual event, this year on Dec. 1, serves as its biggest fundraiser for competitions. Submitted photo
