Based at San Jose High School, California's 3rd oldest public school, Team 581 was founded in 2001 by Steve Novotny.
In the early 2010s, Mr. Novotny secured a large Project Lead The Way grant for San Jose High School, which included a new building, called the Tech Building, for PLTW classes and a shop that would become the new home of Team 581. Now entering our 24th season, our team still meets at the Tech Building and includes 35 high school students from San Jose High School along with over 15 industry professional mentors. We meet every week, all year to complete a wide assortment of projects related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, (STEM) and of course, to build robots.
Students on Team 581 have access to industry grade tools, software, and machines used for skills like carpentry, graphic design, web apps, fabrication, Computer Aided Design, programming, and web design.
Through competitive robotics our students also develop interpersonal skills like communication, time management, teamwork, and critical thinking, leading to elevated success long after graduation. Team 581 also encourages students to be active participants in their community. We annually participate in Back to School Night, Fall Festival, Club Rush, March Madness, and other outreach events at our school where we demonstrate our robots, hand out flyers and speak to SJHS students, families, and faculty. Our team is a cornerstone of SJHS engineering offerings, and increasing team visibility at our school encourages students to pursue and celebrate STEM.
Our Mission
Team 581 Blazing Bulldogs bring STEM and career opportunities to our school and community by leveraging a combination of hands-on, project-based education and competitiveness to perform at a high level on and off the field.
How To Join
San Jose High School students are invited to attend New Member Information Meetings in May and August each year. We encourage anyone who will be in grades 9-12 for the upcoming season to attend- no experience is necessary.
Our Sponsors
Our team heavily relies on the support of the San Jose and Bay Area community. With donations our team is able to buy much needed tools and supplies, lower travel costs, and register for competitions.