Ossining O-Bots Take Big Risk, Win Coveted Judges' Award at Competition

After facing some struggles at the FIRST Robotics Competition in New York City in mid-March, the Ossining High School O-Bots team members had just a few weeks to strategize about how they could do better at a regional competition on Long Island.

They couldn’t alter the robot, but several Engineering Club students who scoured the rules learned that teams could bring an extra 30 pounds of parts with them to Hofstra University. They collaborated with the New Rochelle Robotics team on ways to improve their robot.

The O-Bots used what they had learned at the Jacob Javits Convention Center to develop a more effective robot. Since teams could only work on their robot at the competition, students carefully planned their first day, including what parts they needed to upgrade, who would have which task and how they could get it done in a few hours.

“They were nervous. It meant abandoning what they knew worked,” said Douglas Albrecht, science teacher and Engineering Club adviser. “They took a chance on trying to make something better than what they had.”

The risk paid off. The O-Bots didn’t win the FIRST – For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology – Competition, but they received the prestigious Judges’ Award for getting the word out in Ossining about robotics, sponsoring programs for middle school students, and bringing more engineering and computer science courses to OHS.

The O-Bots learned on Friday that they have been invited to the FIRST Robotics Championship in St. Louis later this month. Only about 20 of the hundreds of teams on the waiting list were offered a spot.

“They may not always win on the field, but they are never ‘knocked out,’” the judges wrote in for the Hofstra award. “Using clever strategy – modifying on the fly, emphasizing their strengths and mitigating weaknesses – they demonstrate heart and sportsmanship by assisting their competition on the field.”

“We weren’t expecting an award,” sophomore Jillian McGuickin said. “When we heard we qualified we were so excited.”

Junior Celine Khoo, Engineering Club vice president, was a finalist for the FIRST Dean’s List, which celebrates outstanding student leaders. Senior Klyde Bacalan, the O-Bots’ chief mechanic, was the team’s most valuable player.

Mr. Albrecht said that the students have impressed him in the five years OHS has participated in the FIRST Robotics Competitions, but “building a robot in one day is one of the coolest things I’ve seen them do.”

“I’ll put these kids up in terms of grit against any team that’s out there,” he said.

Some teams that participate in FIRST Robotics may have a financial edge or their robots are almost entirely built by adult mentors, Celine said. OHS students would rather do most of the work themselves, even if that gives other teams an edge. “We like to really have it be student-run,” she said, adding that the club is open to anyone who wants to get hands-on experience.

Alexandra Greenberg, Ossining’s Director of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics, said the integration of engineering and computer science into the curriculum districtwide supports Ossining’s educational philosophy of the “4 Cs of 21st Century Learning Skills” – Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity.

“The students and teachers of the O-Bots Engineering Club embody those skills,” she said. “Together they are a thriving community driven by passion, determination, creativity, and sheer talent.”

Students received the assignment for the FIRST competition in early January and had until Feb. 23 to finish. The students and Mr. Albrecht, physics teacher Mark Scinta and math teacher Daniel Kalbfell, often worked after school until 6 or 7 p.m. One night, the janitors kicked them out at 11 p.m.

At Hofstra, the Ossining O-Bots were ranked as high as No. 2 for most of the first day before finishing 16th out of 51 teams on the FIRST STRONGHOLD tournament field.

Robots had to lift “boulders” (balls) and hurl them into tower windows, scale a tower and perform other feats. Due to the various constraints, the O-Bots’ robot was limited to picking up balls and playing defense. Those strengths worked in Ossining’s favor as they formed alliances with other teams.

Students said the Hofstra competition was exciting but grueling and loud. “It was like a roller coaster going up and down, up and down,” said sophomore Nick Tremaroli, the O-Bots’ head computer programmer. “It’s like taking a math test and you don’t know what’s on it.”

Freshman Kellen Cooks, who is most interested in the design aspect of robotics, said the Javits competition was intense. “I got home and fell asleep on the couch for the whole night,” he said.

Senior Michael Earle, Engineering Club president, said students are grateful to Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, IBM, Entergy, Ossining MATTERS, the Truckin’ Foundation, Wobble Café, Mooyah and the school district for their help and support.

His brother, David, a senior at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was one of several alumni who dropped by OHS to lend a hand this year. The competition forces students to make the best use of the limited resources they have. “The club does a really good job of preparing students for being engineers,” he said.