TNT 280: Robotics team has a busy year

By Joseph Horth

This year was one of both struggles and triumphs for TnT 280. The struggles came from the many snow days that closed the schools and prevented the team from meeting for the first week of the robot build season, an issue with the team’s checking account and the graduation of several talented students.

However, the triumphs far surpass those issues. In the 2013-14 season, TnT 280 grew in both member and mentor number, finished the year’s robot early, and won several awards.

These included the Gracious Professionalism Award, Industrial Safety award, Creativity in Design award and a District Finalist award, all at a single competition. Additionally, at the second district event, TnT 280 won the Chairman’s Award, the most prestigious award a team can be given, and automatically secured a spot at the Michigan State Championship.

The team did not advance to the World Championship from there, but they did compete with the other 63 teams. Since then, TnT 280 has presented at Meyer Elementary School’s Career Day and hosted a booth at Taylor’s Relay for Life, and plans to attend an off-season event, appear at Maker Faire, give a presentation to the Taylor School District Board of Education and volunteer its time to help the local Moose Lodge.

For TnT 280, the ending of official competitions just means the start of a new season.

Relay for Life

This was TnT 280’s second year hosting a booth at Taylor’s Relay for Life, and the team has improved in every way from its appearance. Before the event, students collected donations, made bracelets to sell, and gathered necessary materials. At the event, the team was hard at work both managing the booth and making sure there were team members walking around the track at all times.

Through donations, selling bracelets and drinks and hosting a series of Penny Wars, the team raised nearly $500 for the American Cancer

Society, almost twice as what it had the previous year. TnT 280 is proud of this, but its know it can do even better. Already, team members have come up with ways to improve and build upon what they have already done.

Needless to say, TnT 280’s booth is one to be looked out for next year.

Myer Elementary School

In May, TnT 280 once again visited Myer during its Career Day. The team demonstrated their robot and talked to the students not only to promote itself and entertain the students, but also to inspire them and promote an excitement for education.

The robot was driven around the gym and passed balls to the students, much to their amazement. TnT 280 handed out inflatable balls and team-member-made coloring books as gifts, and the students obviously enjoyed them.

There were far more students in the gym than last year, but that just made it more fun and gave the team members more children to inspire. By the end of the day, the students were happily holding their ball or coloring book and announcing that they were going to join TnT 280 when they got to high school, and the team members were proud at their part in bringing a new enthusiasm for learning to these children, possibly changing the future for the better.

Joseph Horth is a member of the Taylor Career & Technical Center, Welding & Fabrication and TnT Robotics.