The Robotics club students at Bridgewater-Raritan High School are proficient at spreading the good word about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education.
Their mission has been accomplished—and noticed.
The Bridgewater-Raritan High School Robotics Team 303 was recognized for its commitment to encouraging STEM education when the students, led by Advisor Jim Griffin, received the Engineering Inspiration (EI) Award at a competition that was held at Robbinsville High School on Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21.
According to the announcement made before Team 303 received its award in Robbinsville, the Engineering Inspiration Award, sponsored by SpaceX, celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school, organization, and community.
This recognition qualified Bridgewater-Raritan's Team 303 to become a candidate to win the award at the District Championships in April.
The judges reported that Bridgewater-Raritan was a team that demonstrated a strong commitment to spreading the message of FIRST. Whether it is starting up FLL teams, sending STEM kits around the world, or teaching local elementary school students about engineering, they prepare the next generation for the future. No matter what the challenge, this team is sure to pass the TEST.
“EI is essentially the second-highest award given at any district event and recognizes the team's outreach efforts to promote STEM education in the community,” said Mr. Griffin, a STEM Teacher at Bridgewater-Raritan High School.
Mr. Griffin revealed that Bridgewater-Raritan’s Team 303 will now be one of nine teams competing for the award at the District Championships at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on April 15-18.
Mr. Griffin reported on Team 303 during its game competition.
“We started off really strong, winning our first three games, but unfortunately, our intake developed problems after that, and we were never able to get it fully working again. We finished the tournament with a 5-9 record and were picked for Alliance 6 in the playoffs, but lost both playoff matches.”
But Team 303 will be at work to prepare for the next scheduled competition, which will be held at Montgomery High School on April 1 and 12.
“Most importantly, we learned what we needed to work on for the next few weeks to get our robot ready for our second competition at Montgomery,’ Mr. Griffin said.