By Calvin J. Emerson
UW News Lab
Represented by a diverse group of students, parents, and staff, proponents of a group that gives local 8th through 12th graders the opportunity to work in STEM, voiced their concerns at recent Highline Public School District board meetings.
During public comment at a recent board meeting, Skunk Works Robotics 1983 spoke up about issues they said will prevent the team’s award-winning educational program from continuing.
Their problems stem from the board’s recent decision to quickly re-locate two secondary schools – Innovation Heights Academy and Highline Virtual Academy – after an unexpected brush fire. The schools were moved into the former site of Beverly Park Elementary, which left the site’s former tenant, Skunk Works, with little space of its own.
The team was instead given space at New Start High School, located in Burien, yet quickly realized that New Start wasn’t properly able to accommodate the work needed to build a competition-ready robot. In public comment, team members said the building has no internet access, which makes programming difficult. They also can’t access any high-voltage power, which is needed to run heavy equipment. They struggle to meet after school hours, because they weren’t given keys to the building.
“In past instances, we’ve had a dozen students left locked outside for a half-hour,” said Trevor Gardner, co-coach at Skunk Works. “We’ve asked the district to address the key issue, and we’ve been told, ‘Well, you better have activities for the kids if they’re going to be outside.’ If you were a student hearing that, how would you feel?”
These issues have a direct impact on the club’s most valuable resource, which is time. The club works on an intensive schedule. To build a highly competitive robot, they need to make the most of the 13 weekly meetings they have before the upcoming FIRST Robotics Championship, a national competition.
The student teams behind Skunk Works keep themselves busy, by necessity of their schedule, and they’ve found work-arounds in the process. The programming team, for example, have been using mobile hot-spots as a temporary replacement for wi-fi.
Not every challenge has a crafty solution, however.
The team’s machine shop has been left unused, and new students can’t be trained on power tools. That’s because, according to public comment, the district told the team that they weren’t permitted to have students use power tools until they completed an investigation into their safety practices. It’s been months since the investigation’s last update. Meanwhile, with each passing meeting, the need to access the machine shop becomes increasingly urgent.
“Without the proper machines, you can’t build a robot,” said Gardner. “There’s been some existential angst going around, as a result.”
School board member Melissa Petrini made a gesture of support towards Skunk Works during the Oct. 2 board meeting.
“I definitely would hope that we can encourage any concessions that our district can make, so we can meet the needs of our kids and our programs that have been supported by our community for the last 20 years,” said Petrini.
School board member Azeb Hagos, during a meeting on Oct. 16, expressed interest in visiting a Skunk Works event. She planned to do so earlier this month, she said, but had to cancel following the death of a relative. The remaining board members haven’t commented in further meetings.
Highline Public Schools has made previous pledges to support their robotics programs. Three years ago, the district announced their intentions to create a STEM and Robotics Center at Beverly Park Elementary, and Skunk Works was brought in to contribute on the initial plans. The project’s been stalled ever since. Right now, the development of a bowling alley and storage facility at the district’s HiLine Lanes property is being prioritized, according to board members.
While working to address structural issues with the district, Skunk Works has proven that they still have what it takes to succeed. They placed fourth during the 2024 WA Girl’s Generation Championship, eliminating the competition’s top-ranked team despite initially placing last in qualifications.
The teams gathered on a recent Tuesday to walk through upcoming competitions. A few of the 16 mentors encouraged students through the next steps.
Steven Vergenz, one of those mentors, said he was proud of the team’s efforts.
“Some of you really stepped up, putting in more than two, three shifts in a day,” said Vergenz. “I could not have been more proud of how you all pulled it off.”
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It is very telling, and sad that the Highline School Board considers construction of a bowling alley and storage unit more important than providing support and funds for the Skunkworks award winning robotics program. And also deciding that funding literacy in the schools is unnecessary when students reading skills are 3 years below the norm. What is the future for students in the Highline district? As stem and basic eduction demands increase for future economic security, Highline students are being left behind. Now I understand why parents are looking for other opportunities for their children’s education. Our children deserve so much more.
Thank you Calvin for the article. Just for clarification, the School Board had nothing to do with the decisions of the district and actions where to move the students after the fire, nor the relocation efforts of the robotics teams and their continued problems and lack of MOU to continue. Myself and Councilmember Stephanie Mora of Butien visited the Robotics location and reported on it this past meeting as well so more than a gesture of oral support. Thank you for your story. 🙂