Wayland Union Schools has been awarded at least $13,000 in grant funds to start a FIRST Robotics Team at Wayland Union High School.

The FIRST Robotics competition is for students in grades 9-12, where they compete head to head on a special playing field with robots they’ve designed, built and programmed.  They only have six weeks to build and program their robots. The competition combines the excitement of a varsity sport with hands-on training in science and technology to help high school students discover how rewarding a career in engineering or technology can be.

The team will be coached by Dave Long, a Wayland Union Schools alumni.  The high school team can take up to 20 students and still has openings.

This is the first year that Wayland Union High School will have a team competing at

FIRST. The source of funding came from two grants — $9,000 from a competitive grant from the State of Michigan and a grant from the Argosy Foundation ($4,000 for this year and $2,000 for next year). The purpose of the grants is to help teams get established.  The district will be looking at establishing relationships with the business community to help support the team in the future.

The WHS team will be part of Southwest Michigan district and will compete March 31– April 2 at East Kentwood High School. The other competition will be held earlier in March and the date/location yet to be determined.

For more information about FIRST Robotics, visit www.firstinmichigan.org

PHOTO: Hopkins has a successful robotics team program, as evidenced by its frequent successes.