29-03-2025
Local robotics team finds success in its first year
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – St. Andrews Bay STEM Academy welcomed students for the first time in August. The private high school's robotics club is already making a big splash.
The 'Bathtub Chickens' team earned the rookie all-star award a few weeks ago at a 'first robotics' competition in Tallahassee, finishing 13th out of 42 teams. They also won the imagery award, placing 16th out of 42 teams at another competition in Tulsa earlier this week.
'It's been an incredible experience. It's been quite a lot of work, long days, but it's very rewarding to see the robot work in the end and scoring points on the field. It's provided me with some incredible information that I can use later on when I'm pursuing my career,' Mechanical & Drive Team Nathan Rich said.
The 13 students on the team built their robot, Mr. Bubble, in six weeks.
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'We need all the different members of the team to work together so we can get this made. Without mechanical, we won't have a robot structure made. Without coders, we won't be able to have the robot working. And with all these pieces, they all come together how they should so that we can have our robot assembled on the field running properly,' Robotics Scouting Lead Cody Casady said.
One of the key pieces in competition is the team's branding.
'Each robotics team is supposed to have their own culture and just in general, their own team spirit. And you can get different kinds of awards for that. Each team has their own theme. Some are more silly, some are more serious. It really just depends on the team,' Marketing Lead & Drive Team Lillian Owens said.
The team's mentors work with the students outside of school, helping them gain real-world experience they can use after high school.
'It is very important for them as the future of our nation to be involved in things like science and technology and math. They learn very valuable lessons to be able to have those skills already. And they could hit the ground running right when they get to college or straight into the workforce,' English teacher and Robotics Lead Mentor January Sellers said.
They say that to find success in their rookie year is rare.
'Becoming a mentor and seeing kids that I work with day in and day out actually put together one of those giant working machines was probably the most fulfilling and cultivating experience I've ever had,' Biology teacher and Robotics Mentor Kylie Giovinco said.
The robotics team is now fundraising to participate in future competitions.
If you'd like to sponsor them or learn more about St. Andrews Bay Stem Academy, click here.
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