Three Southern Virginia FRC teams competed at the World Championships held in Detroit, Michigan in April 2018. The three teams were the STAGS, the MADawgs, and the Cometbots.
HCHS robotics team heading to World Championship
Originally published by The Gazette-Virginian / April 15, 2018
Team 977 is off to the FIRST World Championship in Detroit, Michigan.
In football, it’s the Super Bowl, in baseball, it’s the World Series, in basketball, it’s the Finals.
For the members of the FIRST Robotics Competition Team 977, it’s the World Championships in Detroit Michigan.
The students have had their eyes on Detroit since the beginning of the school year.
Working countless hours in outreach education for STEM, fundraising and ultimately designing, building and programming a robot to perform a specified set of tasks, their goal is just on the horizon.
In March, after collecting enough district points, the team participated in the FIRST Chesapeake District Championship at the University of Maryland, in College Park, Maryland.
After this event, the team thought the season was over until FIRST headquarters contacted the coach with an outstanding opportunity. The group has earned their invitation to the 2018 World Championship.
Competition will be held in Detroit, Michigan, April 25-28.
This is a huge honor and opportunity for the team who has contributed countless hours designing, building and programming a robot to perform a specified set of tasks.
This is also a huge expense that the school cannot afford on its own.
According to CTE Coordinator Debra Woltz, “We have begun a fundraising campaign but have a limited time frame and are also looking for contributions and sponsors.”
The budget includes rental of three SUVs at $1,991.70; gas allowance of $600; six hotel rooms at $3,008, registration for event at $5,000, shipping of robot at $1,000 and meal allowance at $3,600 for a total of $15,199.70.
Mid-Atlantic Broadband has committed to a $5,000 donation, and an additional $5,000 from one of their partners may be forthcoming, but it has not been confirmed yet.
“Would your organization be able to help with this endeavor?” Woltz asked.
For more information, call Debra Woltz at 434-575-2013 or email dwoltz@halifax.k12.va.us.
To contribute, checks can be made out to Halifax County High School Robotics and mailed to Halifax County High School, P.O. Box 310, South Boston, VA 24592.
The Cometbot Team #977 can be followed on their Facebook page where there will be a link to live coverage of all competitions.
“Please join me as we cheer on this team and wish them the best of luck,” Woltz said.