Who We Are
Viking Robotics is a youth-led inclusive and diverse community that inspires, develops and educates individuals within our community about business, marketing, programming, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, design, fabrication, and other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) related skills.
We are a team based in Ballard High School, participating in the First Robotics Competition. Our goal is to empower the next generation with STEM skills. We also aim to spread FIRST’s message of gracious professionalism, a general rhetoric of respectful collaboration and treatment among peers. Our team of over fifty diverse students works side-by-side with dedicated mentors from industry to learn and apply valuable STEM-based skills in a fun and highly cooperative environment. Together, with generous support of our corporate sponsors, we design and build robots that compete at the highest level. Viking Robotics Team 2928 was founded in 2008 with a ten-member core group and a budget kick started with a $6,000 Boeing grant. Our school sponsor was Craig Nielson, with whom we quickly established a solid team, winning our first championship in the 2012 Seattle Olympic Regional. That same year we qualified for Einstein. In 2015, Craig Nielson left Ballard High School and Brian Connolly replaced him as our school sponsor. The size of our team continued to increase as we spread the message of FIRST, growing from 40 to about 60 members today. In 2017, our team qualified for the Houston World Championship and unexpectedly won Einsteins. Unfortunately, while this was a major win, the trip left us $20,000 in debt. Through tremendous effort and support, we toppled our past fundraising goals and raised $92,000 the next year. In 2020, the team made tremendous strides as we officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a proud member of LGBTQ+ of FIRST. |
FIRST
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What We Do
What do we in Viking Robotics?
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Mechanical
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Business
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Community Outreach
- Mentors for the West Woodland Wildcats Elementary School robotics team
- Mentors for St. Alphonsus Elementary School robotics team
- Library sponsored robotics class for the Green Lake public library
- Sponsor and host FIRST Lego League competitions at Ballard High School annually
- Participated in Syttende Mai Parade
- Over the past three years, Ballard Vikings Robotics students have donated over 2000 community service hours
Awards
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