A few years ago, Sidney High School was introduced a concept that is entertaining, stimulating and forward-thinking, and the local team of students is winning awards.

About five years ago, the Sidney School District was introduced to a robotics program by a teacher in Peetz, Colo. Sidney High School is in its third year with the program. Sidney High School teacher Tyler Shaw said it is probably one of the best programs he's worked with.

Shaw said students are giving a specific theme each year, then build the project from concept to completion. 

"They have to build it, they have to code... a lot of trial and error," he said.

The program is multi-disciplinary, from writing the plan, the code to building the robots.

Sidney's team is composed of eight students: three juniors and five seniors.

"They love it, especially when you win," Shaw said.

The Sidney team did very well at the local competition, held in Northeast Colorado. 

"We're actually the only Nebraska school that does it," he said.

The hub school for Sidney is Julesburg, Colo.

The Sidney team will be competing at the regional event December 4 in at the Colorado School of Mines.

A big part of the program, he said, is learning by doing. The competition includes completing an engineering notebook, planning a strategy, writing the code and construction of a robot capable of completing specific tasks. This year's theme was "Made To Order," following the headline concerns of recent disruptions in supply lines and delivery. Previous themes include "Clean the Ocean" and "Power Outage." 

Shaw said as a teacher, he recruited students he thought would benefit from the program. The program is based on Best Robotics, which is now in its 30th year. Best Robotics traces its history to southeast United States.