Who are we to decide who deserves to be inspired? -Paul George

Team History

The team’s roots began early with FIRST in 1993 when Dean Kamen visited P&G in Cincinnati regarding sponsorship and teams. Teams were started by P&G at Walnut Hills High School and Aiken High School. Both teams competed in the 1994 and 1995 seasons. After the 1995 season, the Aiken High School team disbanded. The Walnut Hills High School team continued and had many successful seasons until the team relocated to Northwest High School. Here the team was assigned FRC Team number 144. The team enhanced partnerships and fostered many additional partners in the four years of competition at the school. The team had very successful seasons with student learning being the focus.

In 2002 the team moved yet again to Lakota East High School and was unable to keep its number and was given its new/current number, 1038. The team had many successful seasons working within the school, but still struggled to gain the much needed school support that many other teams gain. In 2011, the team lost its space within the school and was “homeless” for about 8 months until landing at the Forest Fair Village Mall. There, the team was able to expand their outreach efforts, mechanical capabilities, community recruitment, and transform from being just a team to a Program.

Regaining the support of Lakota, we relocated and downsized to the old Lakota Enrollment Center in 2018 with the hope of raising enough funds to purchase our own dedicated space so we can expand once again and further our community outreach. Having student members from multiple different schools around the region, we are working to develop new partnerships to ensure a thriving bright future for the program.

In 2024, we opened the Paul George STEM Center to house our robotics teams and the provided STEM education to the community.

Paul George, a founding mentor of Lakota Robotics, is remembered as a passionate champion for education, innovation, and mentorship. He believed deeply in the potential of every student and created an environment where young minds felt empowered to take risks, innovate, and discover their passion for STEM.

Alongside Lead Mentor Jimmy Nichols, Paul envisioned a permanent home for Lakota Robotics—ensuring stability after years of operating in temporary spaces. He also believed STEM should be accessible to all students, famously saying, “Who are we to decide who deserves to be inspired?” That belief remains central to the team’s commitment to never charging students to participate.

When Paul passed away in 2020, he left Lakota Robotics the resources to make that vision a reality. The Paul George STEM Center stands as a lasting tribute to his legacy, reflected in every student inspired and every robot built under the motto: WWPGD (What would Paul George do?)

Past Competitions

All Past Games