EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – Rivals beware, North High School has a tank.
This project is their most recent attempt to make innovative ideas a reality. At North High School in Evansville, there’s something new roaming the halls.
The school’s robotics team had been toying with the idea of t-shirt distribution for a while, and this is what they came up with a tank.
It had its maiden voyage at a recent basketball game.
“I don’t know if we told anyone there, so they were kind of shocked,” Bram Devonshire, a junior member of the robotics team said. “It was pretty good. All of our shots hit in the crowd and everyone was excited to get a t-shirt. I mean, it’s one of the best things in life, getting a free t-shirt, you know?”
The tank is just one project of the robotics team, which is focused on helping students see the real-world application of engineering concepts they are learning, and connects them with working engineers as mentors.
“The kids are really just getting a wealth of experience with it,” Brian Bobbitt, the team’s advisor said.
The team got its start about four years ago, and it’s already had success since then.
In its first year, the team placed 20th in the state competition. Since then, North has been ranked as high as fourth in the state, and last year they won an innovation award against more than 50 other teams across Indiana.
“It’s kind of like a proud moment, I guess,” Devonshire said. “It’s just, you take this idea and you take it from drawings and pictures and things like what you want to do and you actually have something physical that works. It’s just really great to see that.”
The team has given students a head start for those planning to study engineering after high school, and some graduates have went on to internships with Toyota.
“There’s always going to be bumps in the road, but in the end, whenever you finally get it complete, it’s just an amazing feeling,” Nicholas Pfeiffer, a freshman member of the team said.
Despite all they are learning, members say one of the main objectives of the team is having fun.
“Really, it’s a fun time,” Bobbitt said. “We have great kids, but to give them great opportunities like this, I mean, I would have loved to have something like that when I was in high school.”
They say even if a student isn’t determined to become an engineer, they should still consider being a part of the team. If nothing else, they will work as a team and learn something new.
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