Keep Robotics at Sahuarita High School

The Sahuarita High School Robotics team in the past three years has made several great accomplishments. In the 2007-2008 seasons, our teams were the winners of an Alliance Award, Finalist Alliance Award, and the Think Award in Arizona. That same year we had Winning Alliance Awards in Los Angeles and Nevada. We also won the Connect Award in Nevada and at the world competition in Georgia.

In the 2008-2009 season, we won the Connect Award, the Think Award, the Excellence Award, and were tournament finalists in Arizona. That year, we also won a Finalist Alliance Award in Los Angeles and the S.T.E.M. award in Omaha, Nebraska. In the 2009-2010 seasons we received the Build Award and the Excellence Award, were tournament champions, and placed third in Skills USA Mobil in Arizona. In that same year we were tournament finalists and won the Design Award in Los Angeles, California.

In San Diego, California, we were tournament champions, Programming Skills finalists, and winners of the Build Award. We also won the Community Award National in Omaha, Nebraska. So far in our 2010-2011 season, we were in the eighth alliance in California. We were also tournament champions, winners of both Judges Awards, Programming Skills, Robot Skills, and the Excellence Award in Arizona.

Our School District is planning on moving the robotics program from Sahuarita High School to Walden Grove High School. While they have informed us that we will have an opportunity to take the class at the new campus, these standards seem impossible.

We currently need two hours to achieve any progress in our class, and they want to change our schedules to where we would have robotics class only during zero hour (one hour of the day). This new schedule would conflict with other programs, such as sports, dual-enrollment, and other extra-curricular activities. Even though we would like to stay in robotics, this new schedule and move will allow none of our present Varsity members to be able to rejoin the class next year. The district’s plan for the Sahuarita High School Robotics program would tear apart our team and put a halt to all of the progress we have made.