By James Sanna, Southwest Minneapolis Patch

The machine clacked and hummed as it skittered back and forth across the floor, searching for inflatable circles, triangles to hang on a rack at one end of the small arena. Its wedge-like shape, bright orange and shiny metal frame, and plastic wheels suggested a prototype Mars rover, rather than something built by a gang of high school students.

Coming upon one of its targets, the angular beast reached out with a long, articulated appendage, snapping at the balloon with jaws mounted on it’s end like some space-faring aluminum plesiosaur. Grasping the shape and raising it high, the robot surged forward, trying to pin the re-purposed beach toy to a wall of horizontal pegs. Missing its first attempt, it backed up and readied for another charge, but it was too late: a buzzer sounded, announcing the round was up, and it was time to move on to a different challenge.

The robot may not have been able to put the last inflatable toy on the rack in time, but the fact that it was able to at all without any mechanical or software glitches is impressive. Its creators in Washbrun High School’s robotics club, the Millerbots, knocked the machine together in less than five months after receiving a kit containing its basic parts.

Built for a national robotics competition sponsored by FIRST, a non-profit founded by Segaway inventor Dean Kamen, the robot helped its creators place well in the first, regional round, according to Gabe Cole-Brant, one of the Millerbots manning the controls at Thursday’s State Fair demonstration.

“No-one expected us, the seventh-place alliance (each team is randomly paired with two others to operate with during the tournament) to beat the first place alliance at all,” said Cole-Brant.

Preparing for the competition, said Cole-Brant’s teammates Tyler Meister and Serena Sellars, involved long hours after school and on Saturdays researching, building, and testing.

Students even have to search out sponsorships from local corporations—just like a start-up firm would have to do, coach and physics teacher Peter Grul pointed out—to pay for specialty equipment that can give their creation a special edge.

“Build time is very stressful,” said Meister.

“You don’t have time to have the design in place before you have to start cutting aluminum,” added Grul.

Whether inspiring high school students to think independently, or inspiring citizens, including a future mayor, to take on powerful interests, Frank Ario left a lasting impression and was hailed Wednesday, when he died of cancer at age 86.

“He is one of my heroes,” said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, who has declared Friday “Frank Ario Day.”

Rybak was an activist involved in the airport noise issue before becoming mayor and came to know Ario, who lived in south Minneapolis not far from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Ario and his wife, Georgette, became lead plaintiffs in a lawsuit to combat airport noise. The anti-noise fight developed into a campaign that led to insulation of many homes and a reduction of airplane noise.

“It was assumed there was no way to fight the unchecked noise pollution that was destroying neighborhoods across the south side of the city,” said Rybak. “Frank taught us to stand up for the places [where] we live.”

Ario was president of South Metro Airport Action Council, a group fighting the noise.

He also made a mark as a teacher. In his social studies and philosophy classes at Washburn High in Minneapolis, he encouraged spirited debates on topics such as war and civil rights, abortion and capital punishment, where he encouraged students to think independently.

When he retired in 1987 after teaching social studies for 30 years, a Star Tribune article said, “Frank Ario is a legend among students at Washburn High School.”

Len Ritter, a retired math teacher, says a lot of students wanted to get into Ario’s classes. “He got them thinking and learning,” Ritter said.

“He made it fun and he made it challenging,” recalls former student Jeff Johnson, 54

Born in Mankato in 1924, Ario was drafted into the Army in World War II. A national magazine, “America In WWII,” described how Ario saved the life of two wounded German soldiers. The Rev. Howard Bell, the associate minister at Mayflower Church, United Church of Christ, in Minneapolis, where Ario was a church leader, said it was an indication of “how deeply he believed every human life was important.”

Ario told the Star Tribune he witnessed “massive destruction … death and carnage” and felt a need to give some meaning to his life.

Joel Ario, a son, said his father first found meaning in Christianity, and then in teaching after graduating from Augsburg College.

In 1964, Frank Ario was the adviser to Washburn’s Politix Club, which wanted to hear a socialist speaker. Ario invited Mulford Q. Sibley, a professor at the University of Minnesota. In response to complaints, the principal canceled Sibley’s visit, which became front-page news. Teachers signed petitions, opposing the cancellation. Ario defended the invitation on the basis of free speech, saying: “I feel these kids are not so gullible that they are going to accept everything they hear, no matter who the speaker is.” Sibley wound up addressing about 400 students at a church.

Ario also started men’s and women’s soccer teams at the school, winning the girls’ state high school soccer championship in 1981.

In addition to his wife, Georgette, and son Joel of Hershey, Pa., Ario is survived by sons Bruce and Kevin of Minneapolis, David of St. Paul; a sister, Arlien, and six grandchildren.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday in Mayflower Church, 106 E. Diamond Lake Road, Minneapolis.

Randy Furst

Posted initially at www.startribune.com

In 2008, Malcolm Gladwell released a book calledOutliers. The book examines the factors of success, looking at the stories of everyone from Bill Gates to The Beatles. Mike Meyer is a soon to be sophomore at Washburn and an aspiring video producer. The book is one of his favorites.

Outliers might not be the top pick of your average 15-year-old. But Meyer’s not your average 15-year-old. He opts for documentaries over summer blockbusters and mentorship programs over sleeping until noon. He can’t yet legally drive, but that’s not stopping him from pursuing video gigs or trying to figure out what it will take to be the CEO of a company someday.

Meyer first started playing around with videography when he was 12, filming his friends doing “crazy stunt things.” More recently, he made a video for the Washburn lacrosse team, earned an honorable mention nod for a video in a nationwide CSPAN contest, and has been working with local company Urban World Management on projects including a documentary about families who have been impacted by incarceration.

Roberta Ryan of Urban World Management looks past Meyer’s age and at his talent.

“Mike has incredible insight and is able to capture and bring emotion with mostly every project he creates,” Ryan said.

A chance meeting with entrepreneur and executive producer Steve Gatena at a Lamborghini dealership in Los Angeles last summer (Gatena was filming a commercial; Meyer was on vacation and filming for fun) lead to a brief online internship and inspired Meyer to get more serious about making videos.

Meyer said Gatena taught him that a video should do four things: engage, entertain, inform and motivate–and that a lot of people miss motivation. Motivation is one thing, however, no one needs to remind Meyer about.

“I’ve been told countless times I need to relax and chill and enjoy my high school experience, but I really enjoy where I’m at right now and where I’m going,” Meyer said.

Meyer’s first paying gig in video production was last summer for Lake Superior Helicopters. On a visit with his dad, he brought his video camera to play around with. The next thing he knew, he was asked to film a video for the company.

Meyer’s father, Kurt Meyer, said his son has always been focused, never holding back when he discovered an interest. And though Mike’s goals may be lofty, his father doesn’t see them as out of reach.

“I don’t doubt a bit that he’ll do it all–not a bit,” Kurt Meyer said.

With no shortage of drive or confidence, Meyer’s biggest challenge is that, at 15, he’s not legally able to do some of the things it takes to run a business.

“Age is probably my biggest limitation,” Meyer said. “Not being 16 has its own limits, and then not being 18, not being 21.”

For the future, once he can drive a car by himself, vote, and buy a beer, Meyer said he may continue to pursue video production, stating an interest in becoming CEO of a video production company. Or, he said, maybe he’ll write a book. Maybe he’ll make a movie.

Sara Etzel, Meyer’s Project Lead the Way engineering teacher for his Introduction to Engineering Design class this past school year and a coach on his robotics team doesn’t doubt he’ll do something on that level.

“What he’s going to do in the future? World, watch out,” Etzel said. “He’s going to be a dynamic individual.”

In many ways, he already is. Driven by big dreams and the passion to pursue them, Meyer keeps the big picture in focus and tries to grow each day.

“Every day, with everyone I encounter, I try to learn something,” Meyer said.

Written by Ashlee Briggs Horton – July 2, 2011 – soutwestminneapolis.patch.com

As a member of the extended Washburn High School and Washburn High School Foundation family, we are interested in getting feedback from you on how we can better deliver programs, services and information to our community.  Your insights and opinions are crucial to the Foundation’s ability to fulfill its mission of raising funds to invest in Washburn High School and advocating for the students, faculty and staff within the broader Washburn community.

Please take the following survey – which should take you no longer than 5 minutes to complete – so that we may gain this valuable information.

In order for us to do the best job we can once faculty and staff return in August we need to get your responses as soon as possible.  Please complete the survey by Thursday, July 21^st.  Your responses will be confidential!  For those who choose to provide us with updated contact information, a drawing will be held for a $5 Caribou Coffee or Starbucks gift card at the conclusion of the survey period.

To begin the 5-minute survey please CLICK HERE!

THANK YOU!

Former Miller and featured performer at both last years’ and this years’ Miller Music Fest, Jeff Arundel and his good friend Jeff Victor co-wrote a beautiful song some years ago called “Harmon Killebrew.” It’s an evocative piece that sparks summer memories of baseball, family and lazy afternoons at the old Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington.  It’s no surprise, once you listen to the song, that the inspiration for the piece was a man of singular character – and one whom both of the Jeffs have carried fondly in their hearts.

The pair performed their tribute to former Twin great and Hall of Famer  Harmon Killebrew on May 26th at Target Field.  The tune originally appeared on Jeff’s mid-90′s album Ride the Ride, and was also the final cut on Cities Sampler Vol. 8.

To see Jeff perform the song at the 2010 Miller Music Fest click HERE!

To listen to the track click HERE!

To see a tribute video of Harmon Killebrew set to Jeff Arundel’s song click HERE!