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New Life Christian Academy eight-grader Ben Gura sets up a test run of his team's robot Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, during the school's robotics team's practice.(Photo: Brian Wells/Times Herald)

Getting ready for practice, theNew Life Christian Academy robotics teams sat at a table around a pizza Tuesday.

It's the first year the Kimball Township school has offered the program, with a seventh grade team of four and eighth grade team of three.

Despite it being their first year, the eighth grade team is headedto theMichigan VEX IQ State Championship in Traverse City Feb. 28 to March 1.

Eighth-graderLuke Heinemann said his father teaches robotics at St. Clair County Community College, so robots havealways been on his radar. Math teacher Jack Hennesey brought up the idea of a club in November. Heinemann and fellow team members SamKeller andBen Gura jumped on it.

New Life Christian Academy's eight grade robotics team's robot lifts a box onto a 10-inch tower during a test run Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020.(Photo: Brian Wells/Times Herald)

This year's game involves the movement and placement of cubes using a programmable robot. The teams must use their robot to lift the cubes and successfully place them atop platforms of various heights.

The team came together a little late in the season.

"We barely had a month to do it whereas the other teams had like six or more to start, so it's pretty cool that we made it to state with the little amount of time we had," Gura said, adding that he's learned a lot about coding through the process.

Hennesey said he used to teach at Yale Public Schools, and former colleagues there encouraged him to form a team. Hennesey also coaches cross country at the school, which wraps up in November.

This year, New Life Christian Academy started seventh and eighth grade robotics teams. The eighth grade team qualified for the state competition.(Photo: Brian Wells/Times Herald)

"So I said to (the students), 'you know what, I've got some time, what do you guys think?',"Hennesey said. "They just jumped on board."

But then comes the issue of cost.

"Believe it or not, this is about $1,200 worth of stuff," Hennesey said as the students worked with the robot on the practice space.

Then there's the cost of room and board and other expenses needed to travel.

"So grandparents and parents donated money to make it all possible," Hennesey said.

Hennesey said he plans to continue the team, and has an eye on a high school program when the current eighth graders are old enough. He's seen growth from both the seventh and eight grade teams. Sometimes when he chimes in to help, the students are already ahead of him.

"Most of my suggestions, to be truthful, they have said 'Mr. Hennessy, that doesn't work,'" he said.

The team also thanks God for their success.

"He's influenced us, He's given us this... we weren't coming into this expecting to win, not necessarily win, to get to a state level,"Heinemann said.

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Jeremy Ervin covers environment, education and more. Contact him at (810) 989-6276 or jervin@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter@ErvinJeremy.

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In first year, robotics team heads to Traverse City for state championship - The Times Herald