MILL CREEK, Wash. — A Mill Creek high school is establishing itself among the world’s best in robotics.
Henry M. Jackson High School, part of the Everett School District, is competing in the World Championship in Texas alongside 600 other teams that qualified across the globe.
It’s the seventh time a team from the school advanced to the most prestigious stage in youth robotics.
The Jackson team beat out 120 teams from Washington, Oregon and Alaska to advance to the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics World Championship.
Starting in January, the team of 58 students has designed, improved and operated the robot. The students spend five days a week making improvements.
“We’re spending hours developing to make sure we’re ready for competitive season,” sophomore Sudhir Chebiyyam said.
Team 2910 Jack in The Bot boasted a 65-7 record in competition with the robot they designed.
“Just considering the sheer amount of teams that participate in the program, we’re really fortunate to have this opportunity to go to the World Championship,” Chebiyyam said.
Robotics is also setting the students up for a future career in engineering.
"One of the real big benefits of this program is I'm really learning to work hard on something and truly commit myself to a project,” Chebiyyam said. “Be invested in it and ultimately reap the benefits. That definitely is going to help me later on in life when I have a professional career."
The team is a mix of freshmen through seniors at Jackson High School.
"They're learning how to be competitive while also being super kind,” Jackson High Robotics head coach Kyle Pihl said. “They're just getting that extra edge on future career paths and college education."
The World Championship begins Wednesday in Houston, Texas.
Jackson High School and its band will send off the team Tuesday, and the school plans to stream the event for students to watch their classmates compete on youth robotics’ biggest stage.