UMATILLA — Gus Macy, the 6-year-old son of Levi and Karla of Baker City, is set for a very enjoyable summer, according to his mother. Team Confidential, the Umatilla High School robotics team, is responsible for some of his latest summertime plans.

The team made a wheelchair specifically for Gus, who has spina bifida and is unable to use his legs.

“What we determined to do as a robotics club is to give him a chance to have more activities with his family outside of normal wheelchair activity,” Team Confidential coach and UHS teacher Kyle Sipe said.

He described it as a “trike, retrofitted into an e-bike.” It’s electric, so Gus, who is unable to peddle a bicycle, can use his thumb to control the throttle and operate the chair.

Karla Macy said such chairs, built for off-road adventuring, can cost more than $20,000. This one, she said, will make a big difference in her son’s life.

“This is a new and exciting way for him to get around,” she said.

A heartfelt project

Sipe said this was not only a big project for his students — it was meaningful. Students planned the chair’s construction during the pandemic lockdown of 2020-21. When they couldn’t see one another in person, they diagrammed the chair remotely.

Students conversed with each other via the internet about the build. When the coronavirus restrictions ended, team members got together once again. At least 35 students pitched in on this project, working whenever they had a free moment.

“I couldn’t hazard a guess as to how many hours they spent, but it was a lot,” Sipe said.

Heidi Sipe, Umatilla School superintendent and wife to the robotics teacher, also worked to make this gift possible. She said their effort was like other work they have done in the past.

“I always do the organizing and financing piece, and Kyle makes the real work happen,” she said.

The superintendent said she discovered this need while at a legislative meeting. Gus’ mom was a speaker at the meeting and advocating as an early childhood intervention educator.

“I met her there and was really inspired by her,” Heidi Sipe said.

They stayed in touch and discussed the possibility of the Umatilla robotics team helping Gus.

The robotics team often is busy, but their schedule opened up during the pandemic. There was no in-person school and competitions were canceled.

“The kids needed a project,” she said.

Local companies and people also were willing to fund the project. Cattle Drive Leather Co. was the primary sponsor.

The Lorence Family and Evangeline Gifts were sponsors, too, and Amazon Web Services helped fund the team’s trip to Baker City to deliver the bike to Gus.

Team program fostering community involvement

Avery Gutierrez, Confidential officer and member for three years, said she was happy about this project. She said she hadn’t done community service work previous to joining Confidential. Lately, she has performed yard work and helped out in other ways with her team.

She said this sort of work brings her closer to others and she enjoys learning new skills. Though the wheelchair project is not robotics, per se, it did involve wiring and more.

“We started by getting measurements — his height and weight — and we worked to adjust it to his needs,” Gutierrez said.

According to Gutierrez, Gus hugged his mom and gave everyone on the team high fives upon receiving the chair.

Meghan Owens, lead of programming and electrical for Confidential, has been with the team for four years. Like Gutierrez, most of her community service has been through her robotics team, she said, and like Gutierrez, Owens gets a lot from her service.

“We get really connected with our community,” she said.

She added she has learned much about the people of her community, as well as the area’s history, businesses and services. She also said Gus was happy about the chair, even though he had an accident on his first drive.

Gus’ new adventures started with a spill

“It only took him about five minutes to figure out how to tip it over,” Karla Macy said.

Gus steered it into a curb and took a tumble. But she said Gus was fine, and Team Confidential built the chair with safety in mind. A car seat, with a five-point harness, is part of the wheelchair. And he has a helmet.

“What’s really good about it is that it’s a pretty good size, and I think it’s something he can use,” she said. “I think this is something that can last him his whole life, with some minor adjustments.”

Gus’ mother expressed much gratitude for the chair and the kindness of the robotics team.

According to Macy, the robotics team spoke with Gus when designing the chair. Later, when they met him in person, one student presented him with a stuffed toy.

“Those students from Umatilla have been so awesome,” she said.