If you were to pull into the parking lot of Seneca High School over the weekend of March 22, you may have been surprised to find it packed with cars and open spaces near the school at a premium. As you entered the building, you’d hear the sound of top 40 music playing, laughter and raucous cheering. And when you made it to the gymnasium, you’d find it’s not high school students competing but the robots those students built taking center stage.
Welcome to the FIRST Mid-Atlantic Robotics district competition.
MAR competitions closely resemble the biggest high school sporting events complete with cheering crowds, mascots and banners. Each robot competes in a three-team alliance against a second similar alliance in a game that changes every year.
Seneca played host to 40 schools from across New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Four of the Lenape Regional High School District schools, Cherokee, Lenape, Shawnee and Seneca, as well as Eastern Regional High School and Moorestown High School, were among those involved, as well as schools as far away as York, Pa., and Wanaque.
The goal of FIRST, as well as the competitions they hold, is to inspire high school students to be excited about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics as well as to give them the tools they will need to become leaders in these fields. The students are given a new game to play each year, and have six weeks to design, build and program the robot to be successful on the competition field.
Most robots are about the size of a small chest freezer. Each team is given the same basic components to build their robots, but no blueprint is provided.
The result is a diverse collection of cleverly and uniquely crafted machines.
What was this year’s game? Aerial Assist, which involves the robots throwing 25-inch diameter balls into goals of varying point values over a two-minute, 30-second period.
Shamong Township resident Robert Fraley attended the event with his wife and kids. The uniqueness of the event was a draw for the Fraley family.
“It was quite impressive and lots of people attended,” Fraley said. “The competition was pretty cool, kids want to go back again.”
Each team has an electrical, mechanical and software sub team. The team also contains students to work on areas such as management, web design and photography.
Students also speak and make presentations to the companies that sponsor them. Sponsors range from local businesses to major corporations such as Lockheed Martin and The Boeing Company.
The impact of the event goes beyond just competing against other high school students. It may act as a glimpse into a potential career path for the competitors.
“Many students go on to college and pursue STEM careers. These competitions are amazing, and I guarantee that you have never seen anything like this,” Seneca High School parent Kathy Andjel said.
The students are assisted
in their endeavors by mentors who help the students to grow their technical knowledge,
self-confidence and leadership skills.
“What the teams pull off is really incredible to watch, and what they learn is transferable to college and in their career,” Voorhees resident and parent Jeremy Cramer said.
“Not just the technical skills but to learn to work as a team, to make a presentation for a company. It’s impressive.”
At the end of the competition, domo arigatos were handed out to all Mr. Robotos on a weekend well done as eyes turned to the MAR Region Championship that will be held April 10 at Lehigh University.
