Robotics Teams Head From Murrieta to World Championship Games

Murrieta Valley High School senior John Rivera admits he used to build things with Lego's as a kid, so it was a natural progression for him to wind up doing the same on a larger scale.

As a junior, he enrolled in robotics, where he learned basic programming and building. But it was during an after-school robotics club that he said he really began to connect with the engineering aspects it takes to build a robot. Now, he's one of the lead programmers, designers and facilitators of a robot that him and 17 of his teammates will take to the VEX Robotics World Championship April 14-16 in Kissimmee, Fla.

He's also been accepted to San Diego State University, where he plans to major in civil engineering and join the university's robotics club. It does take more, however, than being good with math, Rivera said.

"We use a lot of what we learn in English because we have to speak in front of the judges. And we have to have writing skills because we have to keep a notebook that describes how we made the robots," Rivera said.

Kevin Bradley teaches robotics, drafting and computers at Murrieta Valley High School and started the club five years ago with a $250,000 grant.

"It just snowballed from there and now we are traveling around the country," Bradley said.

He said he's seen robotics pick up in popularity since then, and not only at Murrieta Valley.

When the club went to world championships in Los Angeles three years ago, there were 91 teams. Last year, they went to Dallas, Texas, and there were 400 teams.

To qualify for the championships, the club must travel to regional competitions throughout Southern California. Bradley spends many of his Saturdays on the road with students. Last year, Bradley was selected as Teacher of the Year for the Murrieta Valley Unified School District after being nominated by his students.

Now that the original grant money has run out, Bradley said it has been a struggle to fund the program. They received a $10,000 grant last year from Southwest Community Development Organization. This year, it went down to $5,000, and that was split with Murrieta Mesa High School, which has started a robotics club. Murrieta Mesa will travel to the world championship this year, too.

In order to take this year's trip, each student is responsible for raising $1,500 for the five-day trip. The world championship will be held at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex; afterward the group plans to stop at Disney World.

Rivera said he is close to his personal fund-raising goal, but he is not sure if others are.

"I've gotten a little help from family and friends, and cashing in bottles. Every nickel counts," Rivera said.

To find out more about helping Murrieta Valley or Murrieta Mesa attend the championship, email Kevin Bradley at kbradley@murrieta.k12.ca.us or Peter Matus at pmatus@murrieta.k12.ca.us.

Check out the accompanying video to see how the robots work.