Without extracurricular activities, high school would be a monotonous place to be
in. One of the more unique activities in almost every high school, including Northwest is
Robotics. This activity is for people who have a passion for technology and innovation, and love
working with programming and engineering. Extracurricular activities, such as robotics, bring
people together and make schools a more enjoyable place to be in. Meagan Vogel is the sponsor for Robotics.
First question, how long have you been in charge of robotics?
Seven or eight years.
Why did you decide to be the sponsor for robotics?
I didn’t, a parent volunteered me for it! Because I was the principal’s engineering teacher, so I
had all of the equipment.
In your own words, how would you describe the Northwest robotics team last year?
I mean, our robotics team last year went to SkillsUSA Nationals, so they did good.
How do you select students to participate in robotics? Is it a difficult process?
No, it’s whoever wants to come join it, they can do it.
Do the students who join robotics already have coding and engineering experience, or is
that something they learn along the way?
A lot of times we have a mixture of both. You’ll be put on a team normally with someone who
has done it before if you’ve never done it. But now that we’ve moved toward the SkillsUSA piece
it’s no longer of like teams of five, it’s teams of two.
For the students who do join robotics who have no engineering experience, what is the
process like to teach them the basics of robotics?
They kind of just learn as they go. They learn from their teammates.
in. One of the more unique activities in almost every high school, including Northwest is
Robotics. This activity is for people who have a passion for technology and innovation, and love
working with programming and engineering. Extracurricular activities, such as robotics, bring
people together and make schools a more enjoyable place to be in. Meagan Vogel is the sponsor for Robotics.
First question, how long have you been in charge of robotics?
Seven or eight years.
Why did you decide to be the sponsor for robotics?
I didn’t, a parent volunteered me for it! Because I was the principal’s engineering teacher, so I
had all of the equipment.
In your own words, how would you describe the Northwest robotics team last year?
I mean, our robotics team last year went to SkillsUSA Nationals, so they did good.
How do you select students to participate in robotics? Is it a difficult process?
No, it’s whoever wants to come join it, they can do it.
Do the students who join robotics already have coding and engineering experience, or is
that something they learn along the way?
A lot of times we have a mixture of both. You’ll be put on a team normally with someone who
has done it before if you’ve never done it. But now that we’ve moved toward the SkillsUSA piece
it’s no longer of like teams of five, it’s teams of two.
For the students who do join robotics who have no engineering experience, what is the
process like to teach them the basics of robotics?
They kind of just learn as they go. They learn from their teammates.
After you choose your robotics team every year, how do you introduce them to each
other?
They already know each other!
Really?
Yeah!
Based on your experience, how long would you say it takes to complete a robot for a
competition?
A robot is never complete.
Never?
It is always ever changing throughout the year.
In your opinion, what’s the most tedious part of designing a robot to be effective?
Them actually thinking about it before they just start putting things together. Like, actually
designing it before they build.
What are some common challenges your team faces when it comes to involving
teamwork and engineering?
They just wanna build it and not actually design it.
Are disagreements common between the team in robotics?
Oh yeah! Yeah, our team right now, well the only team I have right now is a team of brothers.
So yes, they argue with each other a lot.
What is the robotics team’s main goal when entering a competition?
My main goal for them is to learn how to problem solve and critical think through things,
because it’s never gonna come out perfect, technology never works perfectly. It doesn’t matter
how many times they’ve practiced it, it can still go wrong. So if they learn that resilience and
critical thinking, and troubleshooting, that’s the best part I think they can learn from everything.
What are some of the most memorable moments you’ve had that involve robotics?
They already know each other!
Really?
Yeah!
Based on your experience, how long would you say it takes to complete a robot for a
competition?
A robot is never complete.
Never?
It is always ever changing throughout the year.
In your opinion, what’s the most tedious part of designing a robot to be effective?
Them actually thinking about it before they just start putting things together. Like, actually
designing it before they build.
What are some common challenges your team faces when it comes to involving
teamwork and engineering?
They just wanna build it and not actually design it.
Are disagreements common between the team in robotics?
Oh yeah! Yeah, our team right now, well the only team I have right now is a team of brothers.
So yes, they argue with each other a lot.
What is the robotics team’s main goal when entering a competition?
My main goal for them is to learn how to problem solve and critical think through things,
because it’s never gonna come out perfect, technology never works perfectly. It doesn’t matter
how many times they’ve practiced it, it can still go wrong. So if they learn that resilience and
critical thinking, and troubleshooting, that’s the best part I think they can learn from everything.
What are some of the most memorable moments you’ve had that involve robotics?
We have won some VEX competitions before, and I had a team that went to state that almost
made it to world, so that was really fun. And then my kids that now go to SkillsUSA, we’ve been
to Nationals past four years, in Atlanta Georgia.
Do you have anything to say to encourage students to join robotics in the years to
come?
I mean, I would love for them to join! But it’s kind of a student lead kind of thing, it’s not
something that I can force them into.
to Nationals past four years, in Atlanta Georgia.
Do you have anything to say to encourage students to join robotics in the years to
come?
I mean, I would love for them to join! But it’s kind of a student lead kind of thing, it’s not
something that I can force them into.
