About the
McKinney STEAM Academy
The McKinney STEAM Academy was founded by our FRC team, Mercenary Robotics.
The Mercenaries are a nonprofit community organization, established through the Collin County 4-H program. The Mercenaries began after the head coach left team 4300, the Lion Kings. The Lion Kings regrouped and formed a community team that would help all students across McKinney access and excel in FIRST.
2017 was the first time the Mercenaries competed, working out of a mentors garage. Even with these setbacks, the MERCS advanced to the Worlds Competition, winning the Rookie All-Star Award and being the Highest Rookie Seed.
The Mercenaries were growing steadily, and shifted to a Habitat for Humanity Warehouse. The generosity of Habitat for Humanity is a big reason they are still here today, but the next few years were still difficult.
In 2021, when COVID-19 was at its peak, the Mercenaries slowly lost all but one team member. Our last remaining student, Alex S., kept the team alive until the next season, when 10 new students joined the M.E.R.C.S. This team slowly enhanced their skills and even won the Industrial Design Award, propelling them to State! The next season showed exponential growth. Their 10 members grew to over 100 across all their programs, and the Mercenaries won the most prestigious award in FIRST, the Impact award, only two years after nearly shutting down.
The Mercenaries moved several times, and have landed at their current workshop, where they founded and run the McKinney STEAM Academy, allowing us to offer classes, STEAM nights, and workshops across McKinney.
McKinney STEAM Academy
