Club Spotlight: Robotics Club
For many students at OHS, the Knights of Ni has been a fundamental community. The Knights of Ni has been part of OHS for nearly a decade, and its impact still remains prevalent. As a robotics team, they compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge, or FTC, which hosts a competition for grades 7-12. Teams design, build, and program a robot for an annual challenge, which is unique for each year. Members of the Robotics Club, including Aanya (’27), Josh (’26), Mark (’27), Ryan (’23), and Tanisha (’25), were interviewed about their experiences.
A part of what makes the Knights of Ni so remarkable is their work environment. In contrast to other locally competing teams, their members are located throughout multiple states and countries. Thus, to accommodate for optimal participation, members meet twice every week—one completely “off-site” meeting on Fridays in Adobe Connect, and another “hybrid” meeting on Saturdays both on Zoom and in person. Meetings on Saturday consist of members meeting in person for robot testing, as well as off-site members tuning in to communicate through Zoom. Meanwhile, meetings on Friday include reviews of completed work to keep members up-to-date. Additionally, the team discusses potential plans. There are three main focuses of the Robotics Club: hardware, software, and outreach. Outreach means making an impact in the community, such as providing resources, mentoring, and more.
Interviewing the Robotics Club’s members reveals the backbone of their success—community. Ultimately, the Knights of Ni make up a “wonderful community surrounding the pursuit of mechanical learning,” as Mark explains. Their bond from robotics reaches beyond its technicality. Not only has the robotics club introduced members to FTC and engineering, but it has also taught “people skills and teamwork,” states Aanya. “Robotics has taught me to face challenges head-on, constantly look for ways to improve, to keep going even when it’s hard, and that it’s okay not to know everything,” says Tanisha. “Through Robotics Club, I’ve had the chance to meet and bond with a unique community and learn new things from them!” Undoubtedly, members of the robotics club emphasize their friendship and synergy as a team. As a new member of the team, Josh expresses, “It’s worth the time; you’ll make connections, you’ll learn, and so much more!” For Aanya, “The countless hours I have spent on Saturdays during robotics are unforgettable as I have created such a great bond with all the team members.” The team captain, Ryan, who’s been in the club for half its duration, can reinforce that the biggest takeaways are both community and learning. “I’ve seen a lot of people graduate, and I’ve seen a lot of people come in. I am extremely thankful to this club for introducing me to some of my closest friends, as well as teaching me so many fundamental engineering and programming concepts,” says Ryan, “I’m proud that my role at a place of inclusion and learning has grown so much over the years, and look forward to see how it’ll grow in the future.”
As such, their values have led them to win several awards. A few of their awards include receiving both first place for the “Innovate Award” and second place for the “Inspire Award” twice. Their performance in last year’s “Freight Frenzy” allowed them to be ranked 4th in the CA-Northern San Mateo Tournament. The challenge in “Freight Frenzy” involved the robot scoring by placing field elements, such as cubes, into the designated area, called the “shipping hub.” Throughout all the years, the values of the Knights of Ni have remained consistent. Their mission is to inspire students to pursue STEM, and building robots is just one way that it manifests itself.
For more information about the Knights of Ni, be sure to check out their website for FTC Team 5026 here, which includes helpful resources such as CAD training!