School construction affects students, parents, teachers, and the community. Starting over the summer, Brookfield East has taken up a few renovations to the pool, locker room, and HVAC systems. Although most of the renovations were completed over the summer, the extension of the automotive room is expected to continue through the school year. 

Hasini Manne (10), the B’EAST Robotics Business Lead shares, “ The B’EAST robotics team needed a larger space to test and create a robot more efficiently.” The Elmbrook School Board saw this need and approved the proposal, which includes the addition of an indoor parking facility, a movable wall, and a raised ceiling. They also identified the following needs: 

• Provide classroom space for a new, proposed Robotics and Automation course, and future courses that include robotics and automation elements.
• Offer a dedicated simulation space for our combined high school BEST robotics team.
• Provide garage space for the facilities plow and equipment at Brookfield East High School.

Jenny Mei (9), the B’EAST robotics Mechanical lead, explains, “Because of our outreach with Wisconsin legislators, we have increased awareness about the importance of introducing STEM to young students. One representative helped us pass a funding plan that increased our government funding by a quarter of a million.” For context, earlier this year, the B’EAST Robotics team, and several other Wisconsin-based Robotics teams, attended the SASA Advocacy Conference at the state capitol to advocate for increased funding for STEM programs from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).

The project totals around 1.6 million dollars with an expected completion sometime in December of 2023. Surely, the construction of the new Robotics Lab will provide an excellent way for Brookfield East Students to engage in STEM outside the classroom while exploring their personal and career-based interests.