Lower Merion School District: Harriton Robotics Punches Ticket To World Championships

Press release from Lower Merion School District:

2022-03-16

The Harriton Robotics Club recently participated in the Eastern PA State Championships where they enjoyed a highly successful weekend competing against 80 of the best teams from throughout the state.

It was a competition to remember for Team 197D – comprised of Programmers Noah Berger and Surya Penna along with Builders Christian Potts, Nolan McGrane-Moffitt, Joseph Cerniglia, Dashiel Albright and Ozan Borowiak - as they delivered a series of exceptional performances when it mattered most. Following an intense day of scouting, coding, driving and strategizing, Team 197D ultimately advanced all the way to the finals before dropping a tightly contested match against a fellow top-tier opponent. The team's outstanding performance earned the Rams a spot in the VEX Robotics World Championships, the largest robotics competition on the planet, which attracts more than 25,000 attendees from roughly 50 countries throughout the world.

Team 197B - consisting of Programmers Jade Ho, Alexandra Aukburg and Simon Seignourel as well as Builders Ian Veak, Jeremy Senh, Leonora Rhoads and Josh Bornfriend - also enjoyed a productive weekend as they recorded their best showing of the season compiling a 5-2 record to earn a solid seventh-place finish in their division.

For context, these VEX Robotics competitions are played on a 12'x12' square field featuring Two (2) Alliances - one (1) "red" and one (1) "blue" - composed of two (2) Teams each, which compete in Matches consisting of a fifteen (15) second Autonomous Period, followed by a one minute and forty-five second (1:45) Driver Controlled Period. During the game, each team attempts to achieve the highest score by operating/maneuvering their respective robots to Score Rings, move Mobile Goals to Alliance Home Zones and by Elevating on Platforms at the end of the Match.

Congratulations to both teams on great showings at the Eastern PA State Championships and best of luck to team 197D at the VEX Robotics World Championships, which will take place May 5-7 at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas, Texas!

(Pictured: Nolan McGrane-Moffitt, Joseph Cerniglia, Noah Berger, Christian Potts,Ozan Borowiak)

***Harriton Robotics Needs Your Help! In preparation for the trip to the World Championships in Dallas, Texas the Harriton Robotics team is seeking community support.***

Who Are We? As a member of the Robotics Education Foundation, the Harriton Robotics Club believes in promoting teamwork, collaboration, time management, and communication.

Mission: The Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation's mission is to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by engaging students in hands-on, affordable, and sustainable robotics engineering programs.

Vision: We see a future where all students design and innovate as part of a team, experience failure, persevere, and embrace STEM. These lifelong learners emerge confident in their ability to make the world a better place

Why Do We Raise Money? We are currently raising money for our World Championship Travel Expenses. Our total expenses for one season are:

How can you contribute?

Please use any of the following methods for making a donation:

Questions? Contact Travis Lehman by phone 610-658-3950 x2749 or via email at Lehmant@lmsd.org.

This press release was produced by Lower Merion School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.