Several months before the official start of the FIRST Robotics season, a group of Cass County high school students are getting a head start in learning the skills they will need to succeed in the growing school activity.

Southwestern Michigan College and the Lewis Cass ISD is hosting the inaugural robotics camp this week, kicking off Monday and running through Friday. Throughout the week, 25 students from Dowagiac, Edwardsburg, Cassopolis and Marcellus school districts will learn the basic principles behind building robots and participating in a FIRST team, with the camp culminating in a mock competition Friday before 85 area elementary students.

The camp was organized by staff with the college and ISD after area high schools and FIRST robotic teams approached the ISD, looking for a way to give interested students a way to learn more robotics before the start of the busy season in the fall and winter.

“Our goal is to give kids a base knowledge about robotics, so that when they head into the FIRST season next year they won’t have to cover as much ground,” said Mikki Spagnoli, the career technical education director with the ISD. “Everyone will already be on the same page.”

On Monday, the students were separated into three groups, where they learned about some of the basic science behind robotics, including electrical currents and motion physics. Throughout the week, the camp instructors will build upon these basic lessons, and even provide students with instruction on how to develop business plans to help them raise money for their teams during the season.

“No matter what your interest is, you can go somewhere in robotics,” said Michael McGowan, one of the camp instructors. “It’s not just about building a robot. Everyone that participates in FIRST brings something different to the table.”