When you think of winter traditions, what first comes to mind? Is it the excitement of going home for break, a gift exchange with friends, lighting candles on the menorah, or something else? Winter is full of holidays and traditions. Within this city or just the MTHS walls, practices and programs have reached major milestones. ‘Tis the season for anniversaries and celebrations, so let the confetti fall for the community gems that have stuck around: 20 years of Chill Out robotics, 30 years of the Jam Session kick off, and 50 years of Community Transit.
The Chill Out 1778 FRC team got its start in 2006 and is still going strong. Their robot rocketed ahead to win Rookie All-Star at their first regionals, officially qualifying them for Worlds in Atlanta, Georgia. The team continued to increase in resources and numbers as the years progressed. Those resources allowed them to reach out and help other local teams form at four different schools. Beyond that, they supported multiple FTC teams in getting established and growing. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. In the early 2000s most STEM fields weren’t a welcoming space for women, and even in the late 2010s, old members recall the lack of diversity on the team. What diversity that did exist felt like a dating competition, making the atmosphere for the team far from ideal. STEM hasn’t always been the most inclusive and diverse field, but FIRST robotics and organizations associated with it have been taking steps to get more women involved in STEM and acknowledged for their accomplishments. Unlike 2014, non-male students are more plentiful on the team and luckily aren’t being asked out all the time by their male counterparts. On top of that, queer students have been able to make themself comfortable on the robotics team among the diverse student body. In 2020, the team went on a hiatus as the whole world went on pause. That time was a rough patch for everyone, but the team got hit hard as students graduated and mentors were lost. Chill Out refused to be frozen out and came back stronger and more diverse as they rebuilt.
“A big thing I see from our students is confidence after joining the team. It’s a free space to be a nerd; being a nerd is cool again. You can be into non-traditional high school things and still have all this confidence and a real chance to grow and thrive.” Praised team mentor, Steve Winkler. “It gives you the foundation to go off and be amazing people.”
This team has built a place for every student to belong and reach their goals, making their motto of “everyone goes pro” a reality. The Mountlake Terrace community has supported the team, cheering them on when they’re away at competitions via livestream, donating and volunteering to mentor whenever they can. If it weren’t for the community, it’s hard to imagine where the Chill Out team would be. Another frequently used phrase in the robotics community, “More than robots,” connects to students’ growth. Beyond robots, students learn to innovate, work together, get creative, make connections, support each other, and open doors for every student. Students don’t just focus on the robots; they focus on their teams and themselves to grow.
“In previous years, Chill Out was kind of a no-name team, and now here we are 16th in the world out of 3,700 teams.” Recalled senior Haze Johnson, the team treasurer.
10 years before the robotics team was founded, the first MTHS Jam Session Event was held. On November 23, 2025, the gymnasium doors opened for the 30th anniversary of the winter sports kick-off event. Starting in 1995, students from the Hawk Student Media(HSM) program have been running a fundraiser to prepare for the winter sports transition with alumni games, competitions, prizes, concessions and more. 30 years of Jam Session run by journalism students and their advisor, Vince DeMiero. With reaching this landmark, the future is leaning towards a shift. It is unknown whether that shift means that Jam Session may have finally reached its end, or if it will be under new management. This event has served as a learning opportunity for the HSM staff for 30 years, presenting a chance to coordinate prizes, reach out to community sponsors, work as a team, and organize an event that gets the larger community involved. Preparation is high stress but results in a big reward in experience for all concerned. As games continue, fun competitions and giveaways break up the regularly scheduled quarters and half-times. Not only does it raise money for the school’s journalism program, but it also serves as a food drive for the community. For 30 years, they have hosted this event, which has attracted over 11,000 people. During that time, Nalin Sood has been a consistent support, first as a coach and now as an alum.
Nalin isn’t the only member of the Sood family who has been instrumental to Mountlake Terrace anniversaries this year. His father, Virendra (Vic) Sood, played a pivotal role in the Community Transit students have used in the past 50 years. He recalls back in 1971, bus companies’ finances were deteriorating, leading to debates and the ultimate severing of the route to Mountlake Terrace.
At that point, the city turned to Vic Sood for a solution to the problem. It took years to get new bus routes, funding, and to get past the issues of county line barriers. He made many trips to Olympia to get bills and laws passed to pave the way to make public transportation available. He testified in front of countless committees to offer propositions and alternative options at both the county and the state level. In the end, it was Sood’s transit bill that got signed into effect over others. During the process of getting funding, it was essential to increase sales tax to pay for a new system, and Everett voted against it. On top of that, it had its own pre-existing separate system, which caused a divide between the new regional community transit and Everett. When proposing the next set of boundaries and authority, it received an overwhelming 79% yes vote. Everett was officially cut off from the route. After 3 separate votes, Community Transit got its official start in 1976. The system grew and grew, making the first big park and ride in Snohomish County and encouraging the people to let buses take them through the rougher bouts of traffic instead. Mayors from other cities reached out, wishing for bus service, and the route expanded farther. The community gave outstanding support as it continued, and as of today, the man whom they reached out to for help has been welcomed with open arms into the American Public Transportation Association Hall of Fame. While it all started locally in Mountlake Terrace and Snohomish County, regional transit systems have since expanded farther across the state. Virendra Sood later brought that same expertise to California Transit.
