Students excel in Auburn School District programs
A big part of the high school experience is getting exposure to a wide realm of different subjects and activities. For many students, being part of an extracurricular activity creates lifelong memories or leads them on a career path.
Studio 13 Live packed up and headed to Auburn. You can't go to Auburn without talking about some of the programs at Auburn High School, Auburn Riverside High School and Auburn Mountainview High School.
AUBURN HIGH SCHOOL ROBOTICS:
Robotics at Auburn High School (AHS) has been around since 2009. The TREAD 3219 team is best known for its community service events and competing to build a fully-functional robot in six weeks.
AHS Robotics Coach Christopher Zawislak, who's been present since the start, said it's the hardest fun you can ever have.
"In FIRST Robotics we have six weeks to design and build a 5-foot-tall, 120-pound robot from absolutely nothing to fully functioning," Zawislak said. "It's probably the best thing I've ever been involved in. I think it provides a great chance for people to realize their future."
Members of the team said because of how much time they spend together, through the good and the bad, being a part of robotics feels like being part of a family.
"We've had a lot to work through together and I think it's only brought us closer," AHS senior Dainin Zawislak said. "Working back from COVID of trying to get the entire team up and running again with nobody having any knowledge on how to do things or having a lot of materials to work with."
This year alone the team has spent about 600 hours planning and participating in community events.
AHS sophomore Mason Bailey said being a part of robotics has made him realize how he can make a difference in his community.
"This last year we built some adaptive toys where we put buttons on toys so disabled kids could play with them even if they can't play with it [usually]," Bailey said. "It makes us feel good inside, that we're actually helping the community."
AUBURN RIVERSIDE BAND:
Band students at Auburn Riverside High School (ARHS) said being a part of band has given them a safe space to express themselves and build community.
"There's always like those ‘band kid’ stereotypes, there's some truth to it," ARHS senior Ashlynn Minear said. "We just have a lot of fun. We're just able to express ourselves very well and understand each other. I would say we're very fun, silly, outgoing."
ARHS senior Alexander Martinez Cabrera, who joined band this year, said his classmates could not have supported him more.
"I'd say this has been like a second home," Martinez Cabrera said. "It's a really awesome space to practice and play."
For ARHS senior Sydney Thayer-O'Brien, band is much more than a class: It's a family.
"No matter what's going on in my life, I always feel like i can come here and I'll have people to support me," Thayer-O'Brien said. "Just being able to get close and having these experiences."
ARHS band director of 18 years, Meghan Wagner, is so proud of this year's senior class for sticking with it even through a year and a half online.
"It's just so special," Wagner said. "This senior class is so special to me."
AUBURN MOUNTAINVIEW SPORTS MEDICINE:
This past NFL season, the world saw how important quick action is when Damar Hamlin experienced cardiac arrest on national television.
Sports medicine students at Auburn Mountainview High School (AMHS) are getting a head start in the medical field, learning how to react to emergencies just like that. Students are CPR and AED trained and overseen by athletic trainers during sporting events.
"Honestly, it's very reassuring because if someone were to collapse I wouldn't panic, I know what to do," AMHS senior David Iman said.
Students learn a variety of skills that help them on and off the field.
"Knowing how to manage my time really well comes handy with my other classes here, but then, staying calm under pressure in the classroom with my work really transfers well into the field and caring for athletes," AMHS senior Natalie Ashforth said.
AMHS has some of the top sports medicine students in the country.
NATIONAL AWARDS:
- Nationals, 3rd place team in the Mueller Division
- Two students finished in the Top 25 receiving All-American status
- National Champion: David Voznyarskiy
- 18th Place: Emma Kuksyuk
AMHS sports medicine instructor Steve Calhoun said being a part of this course requires a lot of outside dedication and responsibility. It's for juniors and seniors who take prerequisite classes.