Angels Camp, CA…Cybullfrogs, a Bret Harte High School LegoRobotics club, has received a $9964.00 grant from the Calaveras Community Foundation. This is the second year the Foundation has generously helped fund Cybullfrogs. The money will be used to expand the club, now in its second year, so that more students will be able to participate in the hands-on building of programmable robots. Since its inception in March, 2014, the club has grown to 24 students, increased the number of female members, and hosted competitions/exhibitions with teams from six other local schools. With this generous donation, advanced club members are working on their Remotely Operated Vehicles, robots which perform underwater. Real life ROVs are used with nuclear submarines, in marine technical fields, and exploration in the offshore oil and gas industries.

In March, 2014, a small group of Bret Harte students approached Timothy Randall, Math teacher, and Ken Baldwin, Drafting and Digital Photography teacher, with a desire to start a robotics club. The teachers volunteered as mentors and organizers and with the help of a grant from the Tyler Orsow Foundation and seed money from Bret Harte, the club was able to purchase four Lego Mindstorms kits.

Students build the robots to carry out controlled actions while discovering real-life applications of technology. They work collaboratively at their own pace, developing problem-solving skills. The program encourages students to look at careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, (STEM), which is a valued initiative of the Calaveras Community Foundation. The high interest in robotics has led to a new course at Bret Harte, Introduction to Programming.

Students program their robots to perform such functions as getting through a maze, following a line, and pushing other robots off course. At artistic exhibitions, students can program their robot to perform any activity of their choosing. Randall and Baldwin speak to incoming freshmen about the club as well as visiting the feeder schools. The teachers describe their club as “curious and precocious Bret Harte High students, especially geeks, techies and other outliers, led by two adult onset nerds.”

Bret Harte staff, board, parents and especially the students are deeply grateful to the generosity of the community which allows the Calaveras Community Foundation to fund worthwhile educational projects such as Cybullfrogs.

The public is invited to attend the next robotics exhibition on May 14, 10:00 a.m., in the Bret Harte Multi-Purpose Room.