![MORE THAN A GAME. With two diving catches in the outfield, the Lions showed up defensively, aiding in their victory over the Pacers. One catch was made by Atwood, and the other by McGraw. Throughout the game, the Lions knew that it wasn’t just about their victory today. “I think [playing for cancer] makes it bigger than just a game,” McGraw said. “Knowing that you have a bigger impact in this world than just who you are as one person.”](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/I70A1454-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Students in the National Art Honor Society work on the Mount Hood mural on the window of SouthLake Church. The students brought a variety of paints and mixed their own custom colors. “Instead of brushstrokes, we’re doing more dabbing, because it gives [a] better impression of tree foliage, rather than looking like actual brush strokes, because if we’re painting trees, we need it to look like trees,” Crawford said.](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_2397-1200x900.jpg)
Robotics team placement paves way to international competition
With a three-year consecutive win which advances them to International Robotics, the team members work to maintain their record. After claiming a Gracious Professionalism Award at Regionals, the team headed into the state competition with high hopes.
After winning second place and the Gracious Professionalism Award already this year, the Wilsonville Robotics team added the Creativity Award and advanced to the Pacific Northwest Championship at a regional competition in Auburn, Wash. on March 28.
“We were so pleased,” Beth Hoots, sophomore said. “The Gracious Professionalism Award is a peer-voted award so it was an honor.”
The Wilsonville Robotics team consists of West Linn and Wilsonville High School students. Although more than half of the members are from Wilsonville, most of the leadership positions are assigned to West Linn seniors. Ryan Kelly is the mechanical leader, Tori Bianchi is the administrative leader, and Anna Keil is one of the strategy leaders. Other team members include Nick Dunstan, senior, and PJ Carr, junior.
“I think it’s pretty cool having West Linn students lead Wilsonville students, but even though we come from two different schools, it hardly makes a difference in the team,” Keil said. “Robotics is all about working together, and they’re like my second family.”
The Wilsonville Robotics team participated in two regional competitions, and won accolades which helped qualified the team for the Pacific Northwest Championship. After they competed in the championship on April 22, they moved on to internationals by landing among the top 31 teams.
“Generally, I think our goal is to get into Worlds, but, personally I’d like my team to be known as a courteous team because we’re known to be a pretty arrogant,” Hoots said.
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For some high school students, any thought afforded to the future is devoted to their next meal, next paycheck, or next like on Instagram. But Ji Hyun...
![MORE THAN A GAME. With two diving catches in the outfield, the Lions showed up defensively, aiding in their victory over the Pacers. One catch was made by Atwood, and the other by McGraw. Throughout the game, the Lions knew that it wasn’t just about their victory today. “I think [playing for cancer] makes it bigger than just a game,” McGraw said. “Knowing that you have a bigger impact in this world than just who you are as one person.”](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/I70A1454-1-600x400.jpg)
