Fairport’s grade 9-12 “Team 578 Red Raider Robotics” team was honored earlier this month for its creativity and innovation in a year that has presented tremendous challenges. The Robotics team is part of FIRST, an international organization that promotes technology and STEM education.
Marie Kraus, Fairport Robotics head coach and technology teacher for Fairport High School (FHS), said this school year in lieu of the traditional in-person competitions and demonstrations, the FHS Robotics team was presented by FIRST with three challenges to tackle, and the students chose to accept and compete in all three. She said of the more than 3,000 FIRST teams worldwide, only 502 chose to participate in all three challenges.
“Kids stepped out of their traditional subteams to tackle these other challenges,” said Kraus. “In the world, you don’t always just do one thing, so having a multi-faceted view is critical.”
Kraus said “Team 578” was named a semifinalist for the Innovation Challenge, and was awarded a Creativity Award in the Game Design Challenge for its game “Barnyard Bonanza”. Kraus said Fairport’s “Technical Ninjas” – a middle school grade level robotics team – won a Judge’s Award earlier this spring at the Finger Lakes Championship.
Kraus said this school year has presented unique challenges for students in the high school and middle school grade level clubs. The student leaders met virtually last
summer to develop a strategy to meet in-person with COID-19 precautions during the school year.
“Our goal was to ‘just keep robot-ing’ – doing what we do best,” said Kraus.
The students on the Robotics team also engage in community service projects during the school year. Team members decorated and donated pumpkins to Fairport Baptist Homes this year, along with batches of Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day cards to residents there. The team also handed out STEM kits to trick-or-treaters this past fall at the Perinton Community Center.
“Team 578 Red Raider Robotics” is co-hosting an in-person scrimmage planned for early next month with teams from Penfield and Victor, following COVID-19 guidelines. The price of admission is a donation of boxed food or a wish list item for Bethany House, a Rochester-area transitional housing facility for women.
