One of the most impressive teams that the Owatonna High School has to offer happens to be the robotics team that started just a few years ago. The team has made it to state every year since being established. While winning tournaments throughout Minnesota, the team has grown in numbers and in brain power. With help from mentors from around the city of Owatonna, including programmers, business professionals and designers, the team’s experience and dedication will contribute to one of the best seasons yet.

This year’s robotics season officially started on Jan. 9, 2017. Operating in the Options area of OHS, the team has been preparing for the new season by setting guidelines, safety tests and going to Roseville for a competition earlier in 2016. The team is made up of 38 kids varying from 9th through twelfth grade from OHS. This is the largest team they have had in the existence of the program. The team is given six weeks to create their robot. Team Adviser Mrs. Val Rose said, “When you see what they build at the end of the six weeks, it just leaves you speechless. Lots of time and hard work go into the project.” The team is broken into four parts; the public relations team, the electrical team, the programming team, and the design and build team. Each team is lead by a group leader or leaders, and the whole group has a captain, or “Admiral,” referring to the leader of the Rebel Alliance in the movie series Star Wars.

The team is pumped for the upcoming six weeks and cannot wait to see what the season has in store for them.  Co-Head of the Public Relations Team, Junior Mason Padilla said, “One of our goals is to get to state again, and then the next jump is to qualify for Nationals in St. Louis, Missouri.” The team’s ultimate goal for this season is to finish at the top.