Peekskill High School to Host 'FIRST' Tech Challenge Robotics Competition this Saturday

On Saturday, December 3, Peekskill High School will host a FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Tech Challenge, a regional robotics competition for 14 high school robotics teams and youth robotics clubs from throughout the area.

The event offers students a chance to use their engineering skills to design and program robots, develop a strategy and work as a team to complete various tasks in this tournament style competition.

Peekskill High School’s own robotics team, the Iron Devils will act as hosts at the event, while the school’s rookie team, the Mechanical Devils, participate in the competition, which is being held in the Peekskill High School gymnasium located at 1072 Elm St.

This is the first robotics competition of its kind to be hosted at Peekskill High School. The FIRST Tech Challenge comes to the District thanks to a collaborative effort between Peekskill’s Technology Department, the PHS Science Department, the PNW BOCES Robotics Program and the FIRST organization.

“This is an exciting opportunity for our Peekskill school community and we look forward to working with FIRST and welcoming the visiting teams,” said Carlo Vidrini, who teaches Robotics classes at Peekskill High School. Those teams that qualify in this challenge will be eligible to move on to the FIRST Tech Challenge’s Hudson Valley Regional Championship on Sunday, February 5, at Pace University in Pleasantville, NY.

The day’s event is open to the public and admission is free. Doors open at 10 a.m. Refreshments will be available to purchase throughout the day.

PARTICIPATING TEAM LIST

HAX Robotics from Loomis Chaffee in Windsor, CT

Dead Voltage from The Tech Center at P/NW BOCES in Yorktown Heights, NY

NanoGurus from NanoGurus Robotics in Morris Plains, NJ

Terraroids from Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows, NY

The Botman from Albany Academies in Albany, NY

Quantum Mechanics from Dalton School in New York, NY

Team Fusion from Suffern Senior High School in Suffern, NY

Nuts & Volts from Suffern Senior High School in Suffern, NY

W-Prime Robotics from W-Prime Robotics in Westport, CT

The Alphabots from Riverside High School in Yonkers, NY

Xeno Gaels from John F. Kennedy Catholic High School in Somers, NY

Robocracy from Robocracy 4-H Club in Yorktown Heights, NY

The Robomaniacs, a Neighborhood Group from Pleasantville NY

The Mechanical Devils from Peekskill High School in Peekskill, NY

PHOTO: Robotics students at work at Peekskill High School