Eldon Upper Elementary School teacher Jerry Barsby dreamed of taking the school's robotics team to the FIRST Robotics Competition in Houston. When that dream came true this spring, his friend and the team's mentor Marty Graham said Barsby could not believe the team made it.
"Our jaws hit the floor," Graham said.
Barsby, who built the program, died in April after a floor jack broke while he was working beneath a motor vehicle. The team rallied behind Graham, Barsby's spirit and another coach as it ventured to Houston for the worldwide finals.
At the competition, Graham said, the students learned valuable life lessons he hopes will give them an interest in science and technology for years to come.
FIRST Robotics competitions give students a chance to learn about science, technology, engineering and math by building robots and participating in school-backed events. High school and middle school students build robots that stack crates or attack forts in events similar to sports. The FIRST Lego League uses Legos to get students interested in STEM fields.
This year's challenge in the Lego League forced teams to build robots that made students think about how water gets moved across cities. The challenge involved moving water pipes, making water treatment processes work and flipping manhole covers.
Before making it to Houston, Team RoboH2O had to advance at a regional competition in Columbia and win a state competition.
Graham grew up on a farm, which gave him an innate understanding of how machinery works. In his day job, Graham sells fire equipment and makes sure it's safe for use.
At age 10, Graham's son, Luke, wanted to work on a newly formed robotics team at the school. Luke came home with a problem one night. Graham helped his son fix the problem and decided to keep helping.
Now 12, Luke wants to one day earn a Ph.D. in robotic engineering and own his own company. He is already considering attending the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Barsby taught Luke the basics of coding, and he read books to learn more advanced coding techniques. Luke thinks he learns more working with his dad than when working with other coaches.
"I think I just connect a little bit better on a deeper level, him being my dad," Luke said.
Over the past three years, the elder Graham got to know Barsby well, but the two looked at problems from two different perspectives. Graham approached problems from a design background and could see how things work before they're built. Barsby approached things from a programming background and couldn't see how things worked until they were built.
"He could figure out how to program anything," Graham said.
In Houston the students met teams from Paraguay, Israel and other countries. Graham said it opened the students to a new world of technology and cultures.
Eldon's team of 10-, 11- and 12-year-olds competed against teams of 14- and 15-year-olds. More than anything, the competition taught the students, their parents and instructors about the teamwork and dedication it takes to succeed in life.
"It wasn't easy to get to this point, and they got to meet kids that worked just as hard as they worked," Graham said. "We all may be on the same page, but we had to take different routes to get there."
Graham's daughters play volleyball and softball and showed no interest in robotics. Children like his son need outlets outside of sports, Graham said.
"Sports are great for kids that are athletic, but some of the kids that aren't athletic need an option," Graham said. "Even though they're not a superstar on the field, they're a superstar in the classroom."
Eldon plans to start a high school robotics team next year. Though Luke is moving up to middle school, he and his dad plan to keep helping the elementary school team.
FIRST honored Barsby at the Houston competition by awarding the late coach a special trophy. As he talked this week about the competition, Graham got choked up thinking about Barsby.
"These kids represented him, the school and the community because they walked in there with pride for their community," Graham said. "It's about teaching the kids to help others."