DETROIT (WXYZ) — A group of students at Detroit’s Marygrove High School is making history.
Watch Demetrios Sanders' video report:
Next week, the school’s robotics team will compete in the FIRST Robotics World Championship in Houston. This makes them the first Detroit public school to earn the honor in nearly two decades.
Inside the lab at Marygrove High School, something special is being built.
"They've shown that Detroit students are absolutely still capable of standing with anyone in the world," Leon Pryor said.
Four years ago, the school on the city's west side relaunched its robotics team, with video game producer Pryor taking over as the lead coach.
"We started from a position where we were all rookies. The kids were a rookie, I was a rookie," Pryor said. "And we were literally 30 years behind, so how can we close that gap?" Pryor said.
By focusing on a Japanese principle of small continuous improvement, the team known as K9.0 Robotics did just that.
"I have had kids come in saying I don't know anything about robots or electrical systems, and now they can re-wire a robot in minutes," Pryor said.
Over the last four years, the team has racked up plenty of accomplishments. Now they are adding one more: competing at the FIRST World Championship in Houston.
"This is the big show, this is the Super Bowl," Pryor said.
K9.0 will be the first Detroit Public Schools Community District team to reach this world competition in 18 years. Team captain Leon Pryor III recalled what it took to get there.
"Just being able to get to the point that we are now, where we can win a field at states, and we can actually get to world's, it's been very uplifting," Pryor III said. "You start with nothing when the season starts, and you have to figure out how can I make this robot, how can I optimize it?"
Finn Nahabedian, another team captain, says she has learned so much through robotics.
"Not only in electrical work, but also in team building, problem solving, ingenuity, and all of that," Nahabedian said.
As things move forward, she hopes their success creates more interest in robotics in Detroit.
"I already suspect that next year we'll see a lot more kids trying to join the team, and I hope that carries over into other schools as well," Nahabedian said.
The FIRST Championship competition begins Wednesday, April 29.
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