Oliver Webber is so focused on the small, grey robot he’s programming, he doesn’t even look up while he talks about it.

“We’ve only programmed it to do one thing so far,” he says modestly before pointing to the mat in front of him. “We’re trying to get it to go up this ramp here, but that’s only, what?”

He turns to his teammate.

“Twenty points, maybe,” answers Kelly Agnew.

“At the island championship last year, one team got over 200 points,” says Webber. “We got, like, 40. We didn’t do so good.”

The young members of Quamichan Middle School’s robotics club are more optimistic about this year’s competition, though. They’ve been preparing since the beginning of September for the district robotics finals Nov. 24 as well as the island division championship the following weekend.

They’ll also have the home-court advantage this year, with Quamichan hosting the district and island events.

“I’m a bit more confident than I was last year, at least,” admits Webber.

The competitions are based on the First Lego League program. Students construct their robots with Lego pieces and use computer software to program their designs to complete specific tasks.

“You can attach sensors to make (the robot) follow the black line that takes it all over the course (on the mat). It sounds complicated, but it’s not that complicated,” says Agnew.

“We took a design adaptation from the guide, which starts with having just one wheel in the middle here,” he adds, pointing to the robot. “But we had to have two wheels so it could get up the ramp, so we changed that, and we changed the positioning on the front sound sensor, and we added this (‘this’ being an addition to the front, also built of Lego) so we could push down the bridge.”

Other teams, like the one Alyssa Stanley’s on, have also made modifications. They’ve added two extra wheels to their robot design, and even constructed small chairs to seat tiny Lego men.

It’s Stanley’s first year in the Quamichan robotics club.

“I like taking apart and building things, so I thought this would be fun,” she says of her decision to join the growing group.

There are about 15 students in the robotics club, which is now in its third year.

“And this is the first year that we’ve had a robotics program running within the school,” adds Quamichan robotics teacher Monica Birch.

“It was based on interest,” she said of the decision to add a robotics class for Grade 9 students.

“We basically just want the kids to learn to program the robots, do some troubleshooting, learn about all the sensors, and figure out how it runs,” said Birch. “It’s very fun to teach, and the kids like it — really, who doesn’t like Lego?”

The club has also garnered significant support from the community. Needing $18,000 to fully operate the tech-heavy club, the school has already raised $15,000 thanks to a $6,000 grant and donations from businesses.

“Our principal, Charlie Coleman, is amazing. He went around and contacted local businesses and told them about the program and about the kind of opportunities it could give potential workers in the future — and they were willing to donate,” said Birch. “We’re still $3,000 short of what we need to get all of the equipment, but we’re very close to that goal.”

Anyone interested in supporting the robotics program can contact Charlie Coleman or Monica Birch at 250-746-6168.