Pinewood School is opening a new off-campus facility for its Upper Campus Robotics Program. The 6,000-square-foot space is dedicated to design, fabrication, assembly, testing, and practice as part of the school’s ongoing expansion of its engineering and computer science programs. The Pinewood Engineering Aid and Robotics Lab (PEARL), located in Palo Alto near the Pinewood Activities Center, will replace the robotics team’s former workspace in the physics classroom, offering a specialized workspace tailored to their needs.
Due to space limitations in the physics classroom, the robotics team was previously unable to set up a regulation competition field; the new PEARL facility now makes that possible. This additional space not only allows for full practice setups, but it also supports more effective collaboration during the build season.
“PEARL provides more space for drive practice, which is one thing that we desperately needed this robotics season,” senior and robotics hardware lead Leo Shang said. “It makes it easier to coordinate software and hardware together.”
In recent years, Pinewood has been actively expanding their STEM curriculum, with more robotics courses and classes being introduced at a young age. Programs such as the KIBO Robotics Club based around KIBO robots and VEX GO at Lower Campus, along with LEGO Spike and VEX IQ platforms at Middle Campus, have helped spark early interest in engineering and programming. That early momentum has continued into Upper Campus, as Robotics Program Manager Will Rees reports significant growth in student involvement.
“In the past couple of years, Robotics has grown from a couple students to around 18 members,” Rees said. “There’s a lot more student interest in robotics, and so it evolved from a casual after school club to a serious program.”
Pinewood’s robotics program continues to expand, now including two junior high teams in Botball (a hands-on robotics competition where students build and program autonomous robots) and entry-level robotics education starting in kindergarten. PEARL marks a major milestone in preparing students not only for competition but for future careers in STEM.
“We are proud of the innovative, hands-on learning experiences we offer students at Pinewood,” Pinewood President and Head of School Scott Riches said. “The new PEARL facility will be a key resource in supporting our growing robotics program.”
