Half Hollow Hills Robotics Teams Advancing To LI Championship

Three out of the five Half Hollow Hills FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Robotics teams will advance to the Long Island championship as a result of winning their competitions during the tournament on January 27 & 28 at Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park. The Long Island championship will be played on Sunday, February 11, from 7am-6pm at Smithtown High School West, and will feature many of the top high school robotics programs in our area.

The FIRST Tech Challenge engages many of Long Island’s future science and technology leaders and innovators to build their STEM skills in a fun and exciting contest. This year’s challenge features an Indiana Jones themed competition where teams must build a robot meeting specific standards that battles other teams and their robots in an alliance format on a square 12-by-12-foot playing field. Teams gain points by programming and controlling their robots to retrieve relics and jewels.

“We are so proud of our teams that are advancing to the championship: 7407 Team Vega, 8109 Rise Robotics, and 8110 WiSE or Women in Science and Engineering,” said Caryn Meirs, the advisor for the Half Hollow Hills FTC Robotics Program and a teacher at Half Hollow Hills High School West. “All of our teams showed gracious professionalism, dedication and an amazing work ethic as they went through the competition.”

In addition to the team successes, two individual members of the robotics teams were recognized as semifinalists in the FIRST Tech Challenge Dean’s List, which honors students who display technical expertise, increase awareness of robotics, and demonstrate team leadership. Kevin Moran, captain of team 8109, and Eric Stern, co-captain of team 8108, were elected by their peers as semifinalists and will find out at the Long Island championship if they will advance on to the national finals during April in Detroit, Michigan.

Moran said, “The team is super stoked! We can’t wait to compete in our first championship.”

FIRST Tech Challenge teams are comprised of up to 15 members in grades 7-12. Guided by adult coaches and mentors, students develop STEM skills and practice engineering principles while realizing the value of hard work, innovation, and sharing ideas. The robot kit is reusable from year-to-year and can be programmed using a variety of languages, including Java. Teams also must raise funds, design and market their team brand, and do community outreach for which they can win awards. Participants also have access to tens of millions of dollars in college scholarships.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills

An education-oriented community with high academic expectations, the Half Hollow Hills Central School District is located in a residential area of 50,000 people in the central part of Long Island, approximately 40 miles from New York City. Providing for the education of more than 8,000 students, the school district has five elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools. Half Hollow Hills High Schools are fully accredited by the New York State Department of Education and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The District is committed to providing students opportunities to excel in academics, athletics, and the arts.