Amid the dynamic atmosphere of Lexington High School, the new Robotics and Engineering course is paving the way for innovation and collaboration among students. Introduced in 2024, this course invites students to engage in hands-on projects that transform creative concepts into unique creations. 

For Zela Onwubiko, a senior at LHS, this course has sparked a newfound interest in engineering and problem-solving.

“I didn’t choose this course originally. I was actually going to switch it out, but I decided to give it a chance because I was like, ‘Maybe it’s something new or fun to do,’ and I ended up really enjoying the class,” Onwubiko said.

Despite not having any previous experience with engineering or robotics, Onwubiko has found projects in this course engaging, as they prioritize independence and creativity. One of the projects that particularly excited Onwubiko focused on the design and marketing of a product. 

“Right now we’re in a phase of building our products to sell to a consumer and making little slides or marketing towards that consumer. My group right now is making a clothes hanger… We’re going to present it to the other groups to see their ideas and how they came up with the tools to use it,” Onwubiko said. 

Onwubiko appreciates the class’s uniquely collaborative environment. Conversing with classmates and completing group work is essential to the course. 

“Being there every day… and talking to your classmates and doing group work definitely builds competency in group work and also mark making or designing,” Onwubiko said. 

Furthermore, this course provides insight into engineering and robotics as a career, with less emphasis on the theoretical concepts typically associated with the subjects. For students who don’t consider math to be something they are particularly good at, engaging in engineering can be a good way to combine more hands-on creativity with various problem-solving skills. 

“I thought I would never be someone to do engineering only because math isn’t my strongest subject. It’s not a subject I’ve struggled with, but I’ve liked science a lot. In fact, I’m going to apply into the medical field for college. But after doing engineering, I’m definitely considering maybe minoring in it or taking some courses in college or outside of school to learn more about it because it’s not as scary as I thought it would be,” Onwubiko said. 

Onwubiko believes the course presents a unique opportunity to explore engineering and robotics in a hands-on environment that can help students determine whether engineering is the right path for them as a future career. 

“[Robotics and Engineering] really showed that it’s fun… It’s a great way to see how you would work in the class and also in a group environment with other engineers and putting your ideas in,” Onwubiko said.