There are lots of clubs here at CVMS, all of them unique. One of them is Robotics Club. This club is what it sounds like- you build robots! Robots that you will take to competition and put head to head against other teams to complete missions.

In the past, Robotics Club has competed with  First Lego League, but new sponsor, Mr. Smith, and resident sponsor Mr. Binnicker have switched leagues now to Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology (BEST). Mr. Smith has worked with BEST for the past six years while at another school. This year Mr. Smith and Mr. Binnicker want to prepare students for high school level competition by introducing them to the Westwood Robotics Club and sponsor.

At BEST, you get a mission for your robot at the kickoff on September 14th. Your team’s robot has to complete a mission like climbing a pole or moving an object. Over 3,000 people are expected to compete, so there’s some tough competition! To win the BEST Award, your team will need to construct a website and a notebook. Mr. Smith says, “This notebook contains things like scoring strategies and why you would choose to do something. Students who like to write are welcome!”

Aspiring Robotics Club participants should have applied online and those that make the team will be announced next week on the morning announcements. 50-75 students are expected to apply, but there is only one team representing CVMS. Even if you don’t make the school team you are able to start your own team to compete at BEST.

Club meetings will be three days a week starting at 3:35 p.m. and ending around 5:00 p.m. Leading up to the competitions, meetings will become longer and more focused. This is a fun, yet competitive club, perfect for people who love technology and science.