(gentle music) (bright music) - Welcome to "The Newsfeed".

I'm Paris Jackson.

We're here in Lynnwood in a school gym where as many as 70 students from up to 17 teams come to practice in an After-School Robotics program.

One of those teams called Chill Out 1778 in the Edmond School District has been making a name for itself, not just here in Washington, but globally.

We'll introduce you to the young minds, surpassing expectations with big dreams to make it to the world championships.

(gentle music) - [Student] Whoa!

(machine whirring) - Being in robotics is extreme dedication.

It is just like a varsity sport.

- [Paris] A balancing act for 14-year-old Mountlake Terrace High freshman, Maya Allumada.

She's part of a student led Edmonds School District robotics team called Chill Out 1778.

That's about 50 members strong.

- Life is very busy for students, especially those taking like advanced classes.

- [Paris] Allumada is a programmer.

She's the person on the team that figures things out.

- I'm a freshman in high school, so you know, the math that I'm learning right now is not always enough, so I have to keep challenging myself to learn all these new things, to understand really what goes into, getting that game piece on every single time.

- [Paris] These students spend up to 20 hours a week practicing together and several more hours on their own.

They compete under First Washington, a nonprofit organization offering STEM programs for ages 4 to 18 across the state.

Robotics teams are given about two months to learn the season's game challenge and compete.

- So in First Robotics competition, a ton of it is math and data-driven and statistical driven.

- [Paris] While we were there, Chill Out, ran into a real problem.

The chain on the robot skipped and the team quickly fixed it.

Edmonds-Woodway High School senior, Lilia Pearson Maas says, "That's actually a key part of the competitions."

- The window we're working in during repairs can be as short as two and a half minutes.

There are times when we are going into matches back to back.

And so our drive team really needs to be prepared to make quick decisions and repairs like that.

- [Announcer] Chill Out another piece of coral on a branch in level two as we hit 20 seconds.

The second piece of coral delivered by Chill Out.

- [Paris] In the last two years, the team's lead coach, Steve Winckler, says the team has had its most success.

- Last year, our robot ended us as 24th in the world, out of about 3,500 teams.

The season's still early.

Right now we're ranked, I believe, in the top 10 worldwide, out of about 3,700.

- [Paris] Winckler says while the Edmonds School District doesn't fund them directly, they show support by allowing them to use a shop in a decommissioned middle school gym to practice.

Chill Out's funding is generated through grants, company sponsorships, and fundraisers.

- And because it is, you know, community funded primarily, if you're an organization that is in this industry, reach out to one of those teams, reach out to us, offer financial assistance, offer expertise.

- [Paris] Mentors, parents and students say, "That kind of support can turn into life changing opportunities."

- Already so transformative from that 9th grade to 12th grade.

And then you give them this opportunity to something they can love and invest in, in a very welcoming and inclusive community.

And their confidence grows.

- If I've taken anything out of this, it's that I get to be a part of something that's bigger than me.

(gentle music) - The team is heading to the Pacific Northwest District Championship on April 3rd through 5th in Cheney, Washington.

Winckler says, of the roughly 140 high school teams in the area, about 50 go on to the regional level, and then only 22 go to the world championships next month.

I'm Paris Jackson.

Thank you for watching "The Newsfeed".

Your destination for nonprofit Northwest News, go to cascadepbs.org for more great local coverage.

(bright music)