Skip Schulz/For the Gazette Adult mentor Glen Beck gave a demonstration Monday to the Ontonagon School Board about the high school’s robotics program.

ONTONAGON — School Board members were given a demonstration of this year’s student robotics project at a board meeting on Monday.

Glen Beck, the adult mentor for the program, explained how the robotics student competition is run through a video presentation. The video showed what the students’ robot had to do — from tossing tennis balls into a simulated steam engine, to having the robot climb a pole.

Robotic teams from throughout the country compete in regional, state, and national competitions.

“We have teams from throughout the UP,” Beck told the board. “We will be competing in Escanaba, than going to the Soo. This is a global competition.”

Students have to assemble and build the robot from a standardized kit.

“The robot kit is built for the specific game for this year,” Beck said. “However we may be able to use some of the parts from this year’s robot for next year.”

On numerous occasions Beck commended the help and assistance from the Houghton High School robotics team.

“Houghton has been in the program for a long time. We’re (Ontonagon) still new to the program,” he said. “It was the Houghton Robotics team coach that helped our students with the controller.”

Ontonagon School Superintendent Jim Bobula explained how important it is to get adult mentors to work with the students.

“You don’t have to be an engineer or even into computers. We just need adults to mentor our students. This is really a good program,” Bobula said.

With student Devin Niemi at the computer and controlling the robot, the robot was demonstrated to the board and media. Then the robot was put on the table where board members could get a close look at it. Niemi and fellow robotics team member Michael Blake explained different parts of the robot.

“The light on the robot is to let everyone know that it is working,” Blake said.

In addition to Niemi and Blake, other student members of the Ontonagon Robotics team consist of Matt Niemi, Ariel Boldarski, Abby Ollila, Rene Yakylavich, Bradley Myrhen and Rikard Olszewski.