SEATTLE — Students from the local Technology Student Association have been competing at the state conference for decades, in such subjects as technological debate and computer-aided drafting.

This year, the competition adds a new element: robotics.

North Kitsap High School’s Darren Massey said he put about six hours into his robot by Tuesday afternoon. For all the projects he is working on for the event, he has spent about 20 hours. And though he does not earn credit for the work he is doing, it’s still worth it.

“It’s fun,” he said Tuesday while working on his robot.

Twelve students from North Kitsap High School will attend the three-day event March 22-24 at the Bellevue Hilton: Stephen Chedester, Ian Christen, James Courtright, Theo Edmison, Alex Palmer, Anna Rees, Blake San Fellipo, David Severud, Andrew Story, Kylan Thomson, Sam Zimmerman, and Massey.Kingston High School students are going, but their names were not available because the teacher is on leave.

There are more than 30 types of challenges and competitions at the TSA state event. Students from more than 92 high schools will compete in the robotics competition, which is being called March Madness of the Mind. The robots are designed to pick up round, foam balls and are capable of full movement. They are controlled with a wireless remote. During the competition students will work to pick up balls and place them in cylinders for points.

Massey and Christen are working on the robot together. So far, there have been no difficulties. The time factor is what it usually comes down to, as teams build and rebuild their project with less than a week before the competition begins.

“This time is always stressful for me — we’re leaving next week,” North Kitsap’s tech ed instructor Eric Nieland said. “They’ll pull some all-nighters … They’ll get it done.”

Massey didn’t seemed worried. By the middle of the week, he and Christen were working to scale the robot to fit the specifications of the competition and improve its stability. In between their robotics adjustments, the two North Kitsap students were also working on architecture and video game design.

Out of the group of students headed to the competition, Christen and Zimmerman are the have competed at the national level — State is the elimination round for nationals. Edmison has gone to State.

“There has been lots of success that I’m hoping carries over to robotics,” Nieland said. If building the robot and preparing for the competitions weren’t enough, the students were required to raise the money to purchase the robot kits. The kits cost about $1,300. Because the technology department offers services for the district and the community, the students were able to raise money by doing what they enjoy. They get to “use their talent for their fundraising,” Nieland said.

While Nieland would like to see robotics kits become part of the school budget, that is five years away, he estimated.