Bridgewater-Raritan Robotics Team 303 Earns Award, Advances To District Championships

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s Team 303 Robotics picked up an elite honor at a district competition at Montgomery High School and also qualified for the District Championships at Lehigh University.

At the Robotics District competition held Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11, Team 303 won the Team Sustainability Award, which was sponsored by Dow.

According to Jim Griffin, the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Team 303 advisor, the award "celebrates a team which has developed sustainable practices that focus on a 'triple bottom line', that is: People, Prosperity and Planet, to have a positive impact and achieve long-term continuity."

Griffin reported that judges used the following statement when presenting the award to Team 303: "From mentoring FIRST teams to recruiting in the classroom, this team actively feeds their future. They’d rather ride the bus while picking up new students along the way. Brick by brick, they build across borders – giving their community a reason to recycle."

In the main competition, Team 303 went 6-6 in qualification matches and ranked 16th out of 34 teams, according to Griffin.

"We were the first pick of Alliance 7 for the playoffs, where we were eliminated in the third round," he said.

The team also earned a spot in the District Championships, which are scheduled for Thursday, April 16, through Saturday, April 18, at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Griffin said the qualification was based on the team’s district competition results.

"Based on the results from district competitions, the robot has qualified for the District Championships at Lehigh University. This is the first time since 2023 that we have made it to Lehigh based on the robot," Griffin said.

Team 303 will have another chance for recognition at Lehigh.

"We will also be competing as finalists against eight other teams for the Engineering Inspiration award during District Championships," he said.