Past Events
STEM Gingerbread House Competition
This event was dedicated to connecting the different STEM clubs within our high school. Unlike most of our events, we only reached out to students within our school to attend this event. With the assignment of building a house that is structurally sound and original, they had one hour to work with a mix of students from 4 different clubs.
Library VEX Robots
This continuous event first occurred in January of 2025, when we brought VEX IQ kits to our local libraries for elementary school students. Students were instructed on building the Clawbot variation and given the chance to drive the robot they built. In the fall of 2025, we changed our approach to bringing robot bases and having them freely build attachments to move the game pieces. This is how our team interacts with elementary students, allowing them to build robots in a low-stakes engineering environment.
Rosa Parks
In the spring of 2025, we attended the Rosa Parks Elementary STEM assembly for the first time. At this event, we brought our robot and introduced the students to the world of robotics through demonstrations and presentations about FIRST and our team. Focusing on teamwork and innovation, we made our presentation more interactive and relatable. In the fall of 2025, we came back bringing more fun and demonstrations. Some of the students remembered us, which was a great bonus, showing how much of an impact we made on that community.
FLL Competitions
This fun outside event allowed us to connect with one of the schools where our FLL teams are located. We got great interaction, especially with parents who were interested in what our team did and what their students could have in the near future.
FIx It Fest
We attended the Fix It Fest at Willard Middle School. At this event, many of our team members helped fix a variety of objects from toasters to cameras. We also talked to the community about our team and talked to many incoming BHS students who were interested in robotics, and helped them get involved in robotics.
Marin Elementary School Science Fair
Marin hosted the science fair from 11 am to 1 pm on Sunday, November 19. Both UC Berkeley and Team 5419 came to the event, which was primarily run and organized by parents. It was an interactive event where elementary school students went around with passports to each station, experimented, and then collected stamps. It was a fully free event with snacks and lunch provided. Team 5419 brought 3 VEX robots and a field with blocks to create challenges/games. We had great success with having to implement continuous rotations with lines stretching up to 8 kids waiting. We also had an info table where lots of parents were interested in seeing how their kids could get involved with similar events.
FLL
Starting in Dec of 2024, there has been one FIRST Lego League Team (FLL) at each of the three middle schools in the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD). Throughout the rest of the school year, the teams gathered consistent interest from over 60 students, and even more showed interest in the program. During the In-District FLL Event, hosted and run by our teams (JV + Varsity Robotics) at Berkeley High School on May 4th, 2025, there were over 40 students competing in mini teams throughout their school. This event was structured similarly to an FRC competition with announcers, judging rooms, and a practice field.