Chatham Robotics Team Advances To State Championship

CHATHAM, NJ - Chatham Robotics had another impressive run at the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Northwest League Tournament on Feb. 15 held at Lenape Valley Regional High School, according to school officials.

At this competition, the Chatham Cougars were nominated for the Control Award for their use of sensors and intelligent programming; they were also nominated for the Innovate Award and won the Design Award, both awards detailing their unique building styles and complimenting their thinking outside of the box.

The other CHS Robotics teams, //Cougars, did not go unnoticed by the judges either- they were nominated for the Think Award which highlights their ability to document their process in their engineering notebook. //Cougars also were the first runner up for the most esteemed award of the day, the Inspire Award.

The Inspire Award is given to the team that is considered a contender for all awards and one of the most well rounded teams. This award also advanced the //Cougars to the State Championship on March 15 for a chance to advance to the World Championship help in Detroit, Mich. in April.

At the FIRST Tech Challenge Northwest League Tournament, the two Chatham High School teams were going head to head with one another and 19 other teams from across Morris, Sussex, and Warren County to earn one of the three spots advancing to the State Championship in March. Each team’s robot were having their most successful runs of the season with their autonomous programs working flawlessly and scoring game elements left and right throughout the matches.

Outside of creating a competitive robot, the teams are also tasked with reaching out and spreading the message of STEM to their communities. The Chatham High School teams have gone above and beyond this year, from mentoring the CMS robotics team, doing hands-on workshops with local Girls and Boy Scout troops, and even volunteering at local senior centers for hourly Tech Help.

The program has also made efforts to connect with professionals in the community to hear about career possibilities ahead of them as they prepare for college and life after, officials said.

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