Summer camp will teach elementary and middle schoolers about robotics.

Live Oak Robotics Team

By Susan Kichhoff

Susan Kichhoff

The Live Oak robotics team (Team 7528, Nuts and Bolts) is such a tight-knit community. Our team of 30 high school students work so hard (we “bust our bolts”) every year in the span of two and half months to build a robot and compete with it.

Most of the team joins with little to no knowledge about robotics. We are all in this together, and we constantly learn from each other. Throughout the year, we train to prepare for those two and half months so we can efficiently solve the current year’s FIRST Robotics Competition and build our robot.

During the season we are stuck with each other for more than 20 hours a week, so we become very close as a team and learn to solve problems together. We come across many challenges and barely anything goes the way we want it to, but we learn to combat those challenges and grow as a team.

In our 2023 season we competed at the University of California, Davis for the Sacramento Regionals and in Seaside at Monterey Bay Regionals. In 2022 we competed in Central Valley Regionals in Fresno and took second place at Monterey Bay Regionals.

This team historically has encountered many challenges. These include virtual competition in 2020 and 2021 when our team member numbers dropped dramatically. However, we came back in 2022 very strong and eager to rebuild our program. And we won’t stop growing anytime soon.

In robotics, personally, I have made so many friends, I have learned so much, grown so much as a person, and had a lot of fun. If you are attending Live Oak High School or going to be going to Live Oak as a student, I definitely think you should consider joining our team because of the bonds you’ll make with your peers. You’ll also make connections with STEM companies, and learn a lot while you have fun.

We will also be having a summer camp to teach elementary and middle schoolers about robotics. The camp is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 26-30 at Live Oak High School. We will go over the basics of coding, engineering, electrical/soldering, business, problem solving, mechanical skills, and so much more. Everyone who goes to the summer camp will get the opportunity to be exposed to the basics of robotics and get to enjoy the fun of STEM. No experience is necessary. It’s a wonderful way to branch out and meet new people, while learning a bit about STEM concepts.

You can register through the Live Oak Sports Camp website: www.clubs.bluesombrero.com/liveoaksportscamps

If you have any questions about our team you can contact me, the program manager of the Live Oak Robotics team, Susan Kirchhoff at [email protected]