Griffith teachers Christopher Sojka and Jeffery Swisher plan to revive the school’s robotics club during the 2026-27 school year, bringing competitive robotics back to both the high school and middle school after years of inactivity following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rebooted program aims to rebuild student interest in engineering and technology while preparing students for future robotics competitions. Sojka said he hopes at least 20 students join the club, enough to establish a competitive team and begin rebuilding the program.
The robotics club was originally formed in the early 2000s by an engineer who served on the school board. The team, known as “CTRL+ALT+DESTROY,” earned numerous awards, while the middle school team, “Panther-botz,” also found success in competition. Their awards are displayed outside the cafeteria in G Hall.
“I wouldn’t say it appealed to the ‘smarter’ kids, but more to the ‘geeky’ and ‘nerdy’ students, often associated with ‘smarter,’ but also passionate about technology and mechanical minded,” Mitchell said.
When Sojka began teaching engineering at Griffith six years ago, robotics equipment from former programs had been stored away and left unused. After reconnecting with Swisher, whom he previously taught with at Gavit High School, the two decided to restart the club together.
The club will be open to both high school and middle school students. High school students will focus on competition preparation, while middle school students will learn foundational robotics skills and prepare for future competition opportunities. High school students will also help mentor younger participants.
The team plans to begin with smaller robotics builds similar to projects used in Sojka’s robotics classes. If the club receives an $8,000 grant, the funding would be used to purchase a competition robot kit. Students would then work on programming, wiring and building the robot.
Students involved in the club will also explore fields such as mechanical, software, computer and electrical engineering throughout the design process.
Currently, the club is expected to operate during robotics season, which runs from October through March, though advisors may consider extending activities into the summer.
“I firmly believe that there is a desire here for robotics,” Sojka said.
