by Stephanie Lopes
Collaboratively building an industrial-sized robot and then testing its capabilities in competitions with teams from around the world certainly sounds like a challenge. At Assets School in Honolulu, students have excelled at rising to this challenge – being recognized as one of the best robotics programs in the world.
Assets School is the only kindergarten through 12th-grade school in Hawaii specializing in educating children with dyslexia, other language-based learning differences and those who are gifted. Assets’ world-class college-preparatory education for its nearly 300 students across two campuses includes a K-12 robotics program.
“Robotics is one of many opportunities for our students to explore their interests and unleash their brilliant minds,” says Assets School Head of School Ryan Masa. “I’m proud of our students’ dedication to solving the multiple challenges that the robotics season presents them with – technical and others.”
Robotics exposes students to a range of STEM and social skills.
“Robotics projects can foster skills such as teamwork. Children learn to communicate, collaborate, and share ideas as they work together to build and program their robots. This collaboration can be applied in the workplace, where the ability to work as a team is essential. Additionally, this way of working also teaches them to appreciate and harness all their strengths to achieve common goals,” states Peter Han, the director of robotics and High School Calculus, Algebra 3, and Computer Science teacher at Assets School.
“Many high school robotics teams are built like small businesses, with different students focusing on different aspects of a robotics team,” Han expands. “There are robot engineers who are in charge of designing and building the robots; robot programmers who code the robots; business managers who actively look for funding opportunities for the team; and outreach projects managers who plan events and activities to reach out to local and national Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) communities.”
“Unlike a traditional sport where students are only needed during practices and competitions, robotics students are expected to be working 20-plus hours per week to complete team projects. A lot of our students actively write emails and mail letters to potential sponsors, plan out community events, and apply for grants on their own time,” Han continues.
One of those students is Emily Kurashima, a current senior at Assets School. Following her older sister’s footsteps, she joined the school’s robotics program when she was in 9th grade because she “thought it was cool and wanted to be more hands-on with different stuff,” she says.
“Being a robotics member, you’re given the chance to learn a wide range of skills, (including) how to design using CAD,” Kurashima describes. “I’ve also learned a bit of basic programming in Java, building, and how to use some machinery like a CNC cutter, laser cutters, 3D printers, drill presses, and miter saws.”
“Besides being technical, robotics has allowed me to step up more as a leader for my team and community. I think since I’ve joined robotics, I’ve really been able to grow my communication skills and develop connections with others,” adds Kurashima.
Assets’ students shine with success in robotics.
Since its founding in 2016, the Assets robotics teams have garnered a long list of awards at both the state and world championships. At the 2024 FIRST World Championship in Houston, Texas, this past April, Kurashima was named a 2023-2024 FIRST Tech Challenge Dean’s List Award Winner.
This prestigious honor recognized Kurashima out of 200 robotics student-leaders from around the world for her leadership, commitment, passion, technical expertise, entrepreneurship, creativity, and ability to effectively increase awareness of robotics programs at Assets and in the Hawaii community. She received an all-expenses-paid trip to attend a summit at FIRST Robotics Headquarters in Manchester, NH, this past summer, as well as college recommendation letters and a plaque for Assets School.
Among a few of Kurashima’s recent accomplishments to garner the award, she served as Assets’ captain of Team Waffles – which won the Finalist Alliance award at the 2024 Hawaii regional competition – and also generated a quiz for students to grasp robotics game rules – which was used by more than 2,300 students from 400 teams from around the world.
To date, more than 55 students have graduated Assets as robotics participants – with the majority of them pursuing STEM postsecondary degrees. As for Kurashima, she hopes to pursue a mechanical engineering degree on the continent.
Assets’ robotics program is committed to student learning – from hands-on projects to competitive success.
Han founded Assets’ robotics program in hopes of increasing STEM awareness and interest and sharing his personal passion with the students, he describes. Han has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics, with computer science as a minor, as well as a master’s in teaching secondary education.
“The robotics program started with hands-on projects related to using Arduino and Raspberry Pi microprocessors, allowing the students to tinker with their ideas including building drones, Rubik’s cube solvers, addressable LEDs, and other similar projects,” Han recollects.
“(The program) transformed into students wanting to utilize their skills learned to play in a competitive setting through the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) program,” he continues. “In 2023, we formed a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team, bringing more engineering and software skills to the students. Through the collective efforts of a handful of motivated students and a willing group of teachers (mentors) who share a common mission, our robotics team is now a nationally and internationally recognized robotics team that actively extends our reach into FIRST and STEM communities,” he summarizes.
Assets’ students share robotics knowledge and passion with the greater community.
“I’m most proud of our students’ commitment to share their robotics knowledge and passion with the greater community,” says Masa. “They often present at community events and assist other interested students and schools.”
Expounds Kurashima, “Last summer, I led a lot of the outreach projects our team did. Some of the projects I organized were robotics expos at places like the Liliha Library, Pearlridge Shopping Center, and the Okinawan Festival. Also, (through) planning workshops and supporting other teams in Hawaii and across the world, I’ve been able to meet a bunch of new people and be inspired by them. I believe that outreach is one of the most rewarding things we do in robotics; it’s a way of giving back to our community.”
Assets School cultivates creative minds for modern society’s complex challenges.
“Our school is for bright individuals who learn differently,” concludes Masa. “Our success in robotics is a perfect example of how the complex challenges of modern society benefit from the creative minds of people who think differently. This history of progress is marked by people who imagined a different way, a better way, of understanding or doing things.”
To learn more, donate, sponsor, or volunteer for the Assets School robotics program, go to www.assetsrobotics.org.
To support or learn more about FIRST Lego League (FLL) teams (elementary and middle school students), FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) teams (middle or high school students) and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams throughout Hawaii, go to hawaiifirstrobotics.org.
