MIDDLEBURG – When the Wilkinson Junior High’s Robotics Team lost state and federal funding, technology education teacher Neil McKenzie found solace in the one safe place he’s always known – the bank of the school’s small fishing pond. 

With each cast, he found peace and strength. The silence was interrupted only by the whirl of his lure gently flying to a spot in the murky water and landing with a gentle splash. 

In between a few catch-and-releases, he developed an idea. 

“I'd love to see those kids continue moving forward,” he said. “I came into class one morning after being at the pond, and I talked to my second-period class and said, ‘Would you guys be interested in a fishing club?’ Honestly, I might have 10 kids across the entire school who would be interested. But after asking four of my classes, I had 35 kids who wanted to; they wanted to be part of it – 35 out of 80. We've got the potential for having half the school wanting to be part of this. Let's make something happen, and it all started with a simple question: ‘Who would be interested?’” 

McKenzie’s workshop is a mix of robotics materials and fishing rods. His favorite spot is a two-thirds-acre retention pond adjacent to the athletic fields, which he discovered when he worked in maintenance for the district in 2006. 

“I was working in the electronics field, and I was all over the county,” McKenzie said. “I saw all the different ponds. During our lunch breaks, we’d always have a fishing rod in the van and check out these ponds. It was better than going to eat at the buffets, or it's cheaper than eating at all the restaurants. 

“When you have a sack lunch, eating it takes you 10 minutes. You spent the next 50 minutes fishing the pond and scoping it out.” 

He taught his daughter how to fish at the pond at Wilkinson, where she caught her first fish. He said she’s now 22 years old. 

“When I got the opportunity to work here, I didn't really think too much of it,” he said. “I thought, hey, coming in the door, let's go and fish the pond again in the morning, just to refocus ourselves for the day, kind of." 

The Fishing Club meets on Tuesdays. For many, including the parents, it’s a new way to be in fresh air and away from the routine of video games, televisions and cellphones. 

“I think this is a great way for us to get kids from behind the screens, get them outside, and make them pester their parents to take them fishing and interact with their kids,” McKenzie said. “There were many good things about it when we started brainstorming ideas and why we were doing it. 

“It was to give some kids in the area something to do besides going home, sitting down in front of the TV or in front of a computer or getting on their phones. Maybe this will get some of their parents out on the weekends to be with them, or maybe after work.” 

Wilkinson’s Robotics Team has achieved a high level in the past seven years. In 2024, the team finished third at the FIRST Tech Challenge Florida Championships, although it was just one of two junior highs in a field of 56 competitors. 

“We have 150 fewer students this year, and our operating budget dropped,” McKenzie said. “The robotics program here was one of those things they decided had to go. That wasn’t done on the district level. Those decisions were made at the state and federal levels. We lost those grants. 

“When I realized that the robotics program wouldn't happen this year, I took time off. I'll go back to fishing, just enjoy my time, kind of relax, retune and get focused for next year.” 

But he noticed there was a void in his students’ lives. 

“These kids just need something to do. They want to be part of something,” he said. 

And they bought into the Fishing Club - hook, line and sinker.