Brighton robotics fundraiser set for Saturday

//

BRIGHTON — When Rocky Roberts arrived at Brighton High School three years ago, he was recruited to be a coach for the school’s robotic team.

He was a reluctant recruit.

“The first year I taught at Novi, I got roped into doing First Robotics,” he recalled last week. “It wasn’t a great experience. I had a really good group of professional mentors who worked with the kids, but I didn’t get that family-community vibe.

Rocky Roberts is the coach and school advisor of the TechnoDogs. (Photo by Tim Robinson)
Rocky Roberts is the coach and school advisor of the TechnoDogs. (Photo by Tim Robinson)

“I came (to Brighton) in 2013, and I was asked a few times if I would work with First Robotics, and I was pretty adamant about not doing it.”

But working with professional mentors Dan DeLisle and Erik Disler and the students at Brighton’s robotics club, known as the TechnoDogs, gradually persuaded Roberts to become the team’s coach/administrator.

Nearly three dozen Brighton High School students are members of the Technodogs, building robots that compete with schools around Michigan.

The TechnoDogs budget, around $30,000 per school year, is funded partly by grants, sponsorships, participation fees and fundraising.

The club’s major fundraiser of the school year will be held Saturday at the Lingerfelter Collection in Brighton Township. Tickets are $25 at the door, $20 if bought in advance through the club’s website, www.technodogs.org.

Ticketholders will be able to tour the collection, which features a wide assortment of rare automobiles. In addition, the event will be catered by several Brighton-area restaurants.

It’s the third year the TechnoDogs have held their fundraiser there. It accounts for about half of the club’s budget.

“There are a lot of cool cars, and it’s an intro to our team and how it workx,” said junior Angie DeLisle, Dan’s daughter. “It shows everyone in the community what Brighton robotics is about and what we do on the team.”

Watch a video of last year’s robot here!

Or here!

There are about three dozen members of the club, including a half-dozen girls.

The club has its own space at Brighton High School and also space at the GM Proving Grounds.

“They provide a little bit of everything,” Roberts said of GM. “We have a build room on site at the proving grounds for our team, and we had been using that as a central headquarters.

“This year, we’ve decided to move back to the school. It’s more centralized and makes it easier for some of the mentor volunteers who are not associated with GM to come here and help. We (also) have increasing involvement with freshmen and sophomores, and it’s difficult for them to get to the proving grounds.”

General Motors also provides grant money, a machine room, hardware and support from its engineers.

At the school, Roberts serves as an administrator of the club.

The team’s season begins in earnest in January, when it builds the robot it will use for district competitions at Kettering University and Parker Middle School in March.

The TechnoDogs also recruit younger students at Scranton Middle School as well as at a club fair at the beginning of the school year.

“I went to the club fair my freshman year, and I said, ‘No, I don’t want to do anything,'” said Joe Zawisa, a senior who is now the club’x co-captain. ‘A couple of days later, some of my friends dragged me to a robotics meeting and I got addicted.

“It gives you a lot of experience with what engineers do in the real world,” he continued, “and you make a lot of friends on the team. It’s also a lot of fun building robots and watching them move.”

In the past, Roberts said, building robots was done by boys, with girls shunted into the  business part of the club.

“We’re trying to break that mold,” he said. “Some of the girls on the team this year, the male members are starting to figure out they have a lot to contribute in the area of engineering.”

DeLisle is one of those girls. She joined the club in part because of her father’s involvement and stayed.

“I really like the team bonding that we have on the team, and how we’re all a huge family in the end,” she said. “My favorite section of the team is the design, but people are willing to help out everywhere. You always can learn different sections of the team at any time.

“Robotics is a fun time,” she continued. “I’m glad I joined the team. It’s really worth all the time I’ve put in.”

Saturday’s fundraiser, Roberts said, will help insure the opportunity continues.

“Good food, nice cars, great community,” Roberts said. “We have great families (who) help out with our team that are super generous and donate lots of time. It’s a good deal.”

DON’T MISS A BEAT

Sign up for our weekly newsletter

We don’t spam!

Sharing is caring!