The new robotics room has gone under a complete transformation. From the small, cluttered environment to an open spacious lab, the newly renovated room cost around $1.2 million. This makes it the most expensive room in LFHS.
The room came to life as a result of multiple meetings between teachers, architects, and staff, and opinions also made this room come to fruition.
“Mr. Dudeck, [the co-teacher], went to many meetings–I was unable to–and brought back a ton of information for me to see. We discussed options and made suggestions. When we had a split [opinion] on something, we asked Robotics three & four students for their input. Students had the most input on the tables we currently have,” robotics teacher Mr. Matthew Wilen said.
Other than the new tables, the space has expanded, as the old room felt cramped and congested.
“There is more room to work and for project storage, which translates to more projects being worked on. [Additionally,] more room to test projects and[have] more storage means we are much more organized and things are much easier to find,” robotics teacher Mr. Joseph Dudeck said.
Mr. Dudeck and Mr. Wilen believe they are going to get the most out of the space: incorporating the large area into their teachings will help classroom productivity, especially among classes mixed between different levels.
“[Before], robotics with physics 2 students would come closer to the board when we were doing physics lessons, and we would have to talk over robotics 3 or 4 students that were only a few feet away,” Mr. Wilen said. “They were working collaboratively on projects, so we couldn’t just ask them to stop. Now, we are much farther away from other work spaces, so we don’t have to fight to be able to hear over others.”
Even though the new room is better, the old room still holds many memories for some students. There are features that students who’ve been in the old room reminisce on .
“I miss [working in] the back room in the old [robotics] room because it was a space where you could use loud tools, work on projects, and focus on work for robotics,” senior Sean Friedlund said.
There are new features in the updates room, however, that no other room offers.
“All the outlets are very helpful; I don’t have to worry about fighting over plug-ins with classmates while working on projects. It also has a garage door with a robotics-themed button,” Friedlund said.
So, how does it compare to other rooms, both old and new, at LFHS?? Many students taking robotics, along with teachers Mr. Wilen and Mr. Dudeck, think that this is the best room.
“I think it’s better than the other new rooms, but I’m biased,” said Mr. Wilen. “Everything about the room is very modern. Lots of windows into the hallway, bright lights, plenty of white board space, and numerous workstations. Doesn’t get better anywhere else.”
