CrabBots, home

Outreach

Our goal is not only to build one successful robot. It is to help build a stronger STEM community around us.

Trailside Robotics Club

Trailside Middle School Timberwolves

Weekly sessions at Trailside Middle School, run by CrabBots students with a mentor present, giving younger students early hands-on experience with robotics, programming, engineering, and teamwork.

Sessions are mostly presentations: students walk through slideshows that break a robot down part by part and explain what each part does.

When
Wednesdays, 7:30 to 8:30 am
Where
Tech Ed 1 Room, Trailside Middle School
Who
Any Trailside student
Started
Oct 7, 2026

Parents of students under 13 should email us on their behalf.

  • A student presents a slide titled Meet the Drivetrain on a classroom display, gesturing toward the four parts listed on it.
    Presenting “Meet the Drivetrain.”
  • Three students stand at a table sorting parts from a VEX robotics kit.
    Sorting parts from the kit.
  • Four students build a robot drivetrain at a table, with wheels, metal channel, and printed instructions in front of them.
    Building a drivetrain from the instructions.
  • Three students stand and kneel around a finished robot drivetrain, one touching its controller while a laptop sits open behind it.
    Gathered around the finished drivetrain.
  • A crowded classroom table where students gather around a small robot drivetrain with wheels, a laptop, and an instruction booklet.
    A crowded build table.
  • Three students lean over a table, fitting wheels onto a metal robot drivetrain beside an instruction booklet.
    Fitting wheels onto the drivetrain.
  • A student leans close over a robot drivetrain, working on its wiring, with a laptop open beside him.
    Working on the drivetrain wiring.
  • A smiling student in a black jacket at the build table.
    At the build table.
  • One student holds two black motors while a teammate looks on, with a laptop and instruction booklet on the table.
    Holding the motors.

More ways we reach out

  • Youth mentorshipSupporting younger robotics teams with design, programming, presentations, and competition preparation.
  • STEM workshops and campsHands-on sessions where students explore CAD, electronics, programming, 3D printing, and robot design.
  • Community STEM eventsRobotics demonstrations and interactive activities at libraries, schools, and community spaces.
  • FRC collaborationWorking with other FRC teams through mentorship, knowledge sharing, scrimmages, and joint events.
  • Virginia State Advocacy SeminarWe plan to take part in VSAS, where students learn about STEM advocacy, meet state leaders, and support efforts to expand access to STEM education across Virginia.

Work with us.

Schools, libraries, and community groups: email us about a robotics demonstration or workshop.

Email about outreach