The sound of a saw blade accompanied by the screeching of metal are heard, followed by a fit of laughter. Sparks illuminate the industrial grey walls as the workers toil away at their creation.

Have you entered Frankenstein’s Workshop?

No, you are in the shop rooms of Blaine High School. And “Who are these workers?” you might ask. They are the 2181 Robotics Team.

Each year, the team is given a challenge by the FIRST Robotics Organization in which they must build a robot to compete with other teams around the world. The build time: six weeks, and unlike most activities, it’s not the coaches calling the shots, it’s the kids.

Now you may find the idea of giving a group of high schoolers free reign over power tools a little disconcerting. The school district and FIRST organization felt the same way. In the interest of everyone’s safety (and avoiding lawsuits), each team is supervised by a group of volunteer mentors. These mentors reciprocate discussion, offer guidance, and make sure that the team doesn’t set anything on fire.

While the team creates a single robot, their focus is split between the numerous sub-categories within the robot. Ranging from the mechanical devices of the bot to the wiring and programming of those devices, the team must effectively communicate within itself, if they are to succeed.

At the end of the six week build season, the team is given a month of “hands off the robot” time before their state-wide competition. Minnesota holds three regional competitions annually, each containing approximately sixty other teams. At regionals, teams compete in alliances of three to test their robots against one other. The winning alliance of each regional then goes on to compete at the national and worldwide championships.

While success is often unsure, and failures are almost guaranteed, these young minds have much more to gain than a championship title, knowledge and friendships that will last a lifetime.