RCS wrestlers compete against Salem-Cambridge

By Marlene McTigue

Capital Region Independent Media

Over the years, the common rooms of the Congregational Christian Church at the corner of Mountain and Main in Ravena have hosted Boy Scout dinners, Lollipop School Christmas programs and countless other community group meetings. Over the last year, the basement of the 71-year-old building has been the setting for a new endeavor, the Ravena Innovation Station (RIS).

Founded by longtime First Lego League coaches Rick and Kate Robertson, the organization just completed its first full session of classes this month.

According to Innovation Station leadership, that called for a celebration.

On a  recent Sunday from 2:30 to 4 p.m. the doors of the Innovation Station were opened wide for all who wanted a glimpse of what goes on at the RIS.

As attendees entered the basement workshops of the Innovation Station, they were greeted by friendly volunteers offering Stewart’s ice cream sundaes, compliments of the local shop. 

All through the common areas, upstairs and down, teams had set up their playing fields ready to show their stuff. 

Team “I Don’t Know” members Rick Turbiasz of Ravena and Noah Blevins of  Selkirk were there with their playing field and coaches. 

For Rick, a first-time Lego League participant, it was an easy sell to get his parents involved when the flyers came home from school.  

Steven Wing, Rick’s dad, liked the idea so much that he and Rick’s mother, Tina Turbiasz, decided to volunteer to coach the a team.  

“I am into tech stuff, I’m a programmer myself. So, we thought it would be fun,” said Wing. “The flyer came home from school and we said, ‘Hey does this look cool to you,’ and he said yeah. So, we were like OK, we’ll take you to see robots!”

Turbiasz, who is a social worker at Northern Rivers, found value for the whole family in the coaching experience. 

“It was definitely interesting, it was fun to do, a nice little family event,” said Turbiasz. “I loved coming out each week with Rick and watching the team grow, watching them overcome some of the challenges. I am a social worker so watching the group dynamics build up with the team and them overcome those was interesting.”        

Team Quack Attack with their signature angry-faced duck robot was made up of some local team members and some members from Albany.  The Albany kids found out about the Innovation Station through a homeschoolers’ Facebook Group. 

The team’s coach, Celia Radley from Albany, was impressed with the team’s ability to come together.

“As a team I think they were really able to have a lot of give and take, which I know can sometimes be really difficult from these kids. Particularly this age group,” Radley said. “We had all fifth and sixth graders. They did a really great job of learning to listen to each other and learning from their mistakes and cheer each other on in order to make this robot work in competition. Really, we couldn’t have had a better team.”

Over in Sponsors Hall, Mark Harris, who had traveled to Ravena to represent the Gene Hass Foundation, was there to present a $1,500 check to the Innovation Station’s First Tech Challenge team, the Ravena Rattlesnakes. 

The Gene Hass Foundation is known for fostering workforce development growth through monetary donations. Seeing a growing need for skilled manufacturing employees, the foundation provides grants to organizations that provide training that could be used to create a more highly-skilled workforce worldwide.  

The $1,500 will be used to purchase new robot wheels, parts and motors so students can build a second robot this spring and summer and learn to code it differently than the robot they built this winter.

Moving upstairs to the church’s fellowship hall, everywhere you looked, the hall was filled with teams displaying their work, from the smallest First Lego League Explore teams over to the 12’x12’ training field where the high school-level Rattlesnakes had their robot performing maneuvers to the delight of the younger onlookers. 

RIS leadership was pleased with the turnout.

“The expo was a fun opportunity for the students of the Innovation Station to be able to show off their design and building skills and share the computer programming they’ve learned this year,” said Robertson.    

If you missed this opportunity to check out the work being done at the Innovation Station you’ll have another chance soon as on Tuesday, May 28, from 6:30-8 p.m., FIRST Robotics Night will be held at RCS High School.