Innovation Meets Collaboration on Poly’s Robotics Team 

Profile by Savannah Parks ‘28

In the student voices series, Get to Know, Savannah Parks ’28 introduces us to fellow Poly community members she meets around campus.

In fifth grade, inspired by astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson—his idol and a guiding influence in making complex ideas comprehensible—Robotics team co-captain Harrison ‘Harry’ Lucas ’25 developed a deep interest in science, particularly space and astronomy. By the time he entered Grade 9 in 2020, his STEM focus expanded to engineering when he became one of the founding members of Poly’s Robotics team. Since then, he has been a dedicated participant each season, helping shape the team throughout his Upper School years.

Robotics is unique in the way that it challenges students to work together as a team. With so many literal and figurative moving parts needed to produce a working robot, it’s essentially impossible to have one person conduct all the building, coding, and driving involved. Collaboration is key, because otherwise, the robot is “just a hunk of metal.” Beyond simply improving teamwork skills and developing talents in STEM, Robotics has become far more than an extracurricular, it’s become a core part of members’ social lives. Many members of the team come to the Computer Science Department during their free or lunch periods to work on academics or on the robot, and even come into school as a group during weekends. Their devotion to the team and each other creates a uniquely strong force that has built the team up from its original scrapbooking techniques when it was first founded. 

“We were a new team… at rock bottom, the sky [was] the limit. [From the beginning] the only place we could go was up.”  Harry and the rest of the founding Robotics team made great strides in the first few years of competition through constant changes to the team’s structure and strategies, utilizing recordings and documentation of past seasons to improve and better prepare for the following season. Harry shared that the repetitive process of documentation and reflection helped the team reach new heights. “Every single year, [the team] gets a little bit better. [Our growth] requires a very iterative process.” 

Just four years after its debut, the Poly Robotics team has found itself immensely successful, competing in multiple tiers of competitions against the best teams in the state. Surpassing the personal records of the team, however, is always a goal that Harry has in mind. This year, as the season prepares to close, the team is entering final competitions with the goal of winning state tournaments to qualify for First Robotics, a competing robotics program.

Back at home and beyond competition, the team holds a different set of goals near and dear.  “I would just like to see more STEM be mainstream in the Poly,” Harrison noted on how robotics was treated within the larger community. “When we win at states or when we win at qualifiers, it doesn’t usually get announced in the same way [as other competitive sports teams].” Making Robotics and their accomplishments more visible and celebrated will attract greater student interest and help to better establish the relatively new team at Poly. These efforts are already progressing, as Poly charters new programs to help support STEM visibility, such as Afternoon of Tech, a community event in which the Robotics team traditionally participates. As the last original members graduate with the Class of 2025, they leave their influence and responsibilities with the rest of the team, with high hopes for its continued growth and success. Robotics provides students a structured, warm, and informative space, even as it competes with Poly’s other programs and extracurriculars.

The close-knit team’s strength, resilience, and talent in their field is undeniable; strengthened by new experiences that bring them closer together. One of its strengths and personal favorite traits of the group, according to Harry, is its diversity.“ I really like seeing people from different backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, and cultures come together and work harmoniously in STEM.” Spending so much time working in tandem with each other has unified the team that expands with every new member. It fosters a warm, welcoming environment that is a socially impactful space for everyone who interacts with it. “If not for robotics,” Harry says, “I probably wouldn’t have had such strong friendships…[which] would’ve affected the rest of my high school career.” 

Harry is now a senior, graduating this year as one of two captains on the team, alongside fellow co-captain Annakaecia Clarke ’25, and as the leader of Team One, the first of three subdivisions that each build their own robot for competition. It’s a stark change from the person he was in Grade 9  when the vast majority of his extracurricular experiences were led by older students. Robotics has altered not only his perspective on leadership, but equipped him with an entirely new skillset. Leadership involves more listening than talking, more management than physical (or digital) work.

“I figured out very quickly that telling people [what to do] is [not necessary] all the time. [A more effective strategy] is listening to what others’ needs are and facilitating the implementation of those needs.”

Harry’s ascent to leadership was one he considered an expected “shock to the system,” but one that he’s stepped into well. His graduation will mean leaving the team to the equally capable hands of his team members for the 2025-2026 season. Harrison will attend New York University, where he plans to further pursue robotics. 

For younger generations of students at Poly, he leaves a few words of advice. “Don’t be a stranger,” he says. “It’s one of the most satisfying things you can do as a human being in general… to find people you like and can share meaningful experiences with.”

And, of course, he encourages all to join Robotics, no matter your familiarity with the subject. “You don’t have to have prior experience to be successful in robotics. And in fact, we try our hardest to create an environment where exactly the opposite is true. You can come in with no experience and succeed.”