Palm Harbor University High School students to compete at the robotics world championship in Texas next week
Local robotics team returns to world championship
FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia caught up with the Palm Harbor robotics team and explains why this young squad is so special.
PALM HARBOR, Fla. - The Palm Harbor University High School freshman robotics team will compete at the world championships in Houston next week.
Team Voltaris held its final practice Wednesday before heading to Texas next week.
According to the school, this is the first year they decided to take 12 ninth graders and put them together on one "rookie" team.
What they're saying:
"Sometimes, when they're on teams with seniors, they feel a little overshadowed, and they're shy and nervous to get in there and learn things," Palm Harbor University High School robotics sponsor and math teacher Gianna Zengel said. "So we decided to put them all together in the hopes that they have no choice. They have no one to hide behind."
"Prior to this, I had absolutely no knowledge of robotics or anything related," Team Voltaris head builder and driver, Sophia Swerdloff, 14, told FOX 13. "I kind of joined just upon seeing the club, and I was able to learn everything I know right now just in a season."
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Each year, teams must work together to design, build and program robots to complete a specific challenge. This year, Team Voltaris created a robot that can complete several tasks, including picking up blocks and putting them in an elevated basket.
"Like our claw: we designed that in a computer software, and then we printed it, and now it's an integral part to our robot's success," Team Voltaris head programmer, Ritchel Mesidor, 15, said.
What's next:
The 2025 FIRST World Championship will be held in Houston from April 16-to-19. The school told FOX 13 that FIRST, which stands for "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology," is a global nonprofit that engages students in STEM through team-based robotics competitions.
"I'm proud. I'm a bit nervous – it's a lot – but I think regardless, it'll be a really great experience," Swerdloff said.
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"It is a big task, going from the state competition to the world," Mesidor added. "We feel excited, though. It is our first time. We want to go, have fun, do our best, and we're really excited to go."
This marks Palm Harbor University High School’s second straight trip to the world championship and its fourth in six years. The Pinellas County school won the world championship in 2019.
The Source: FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia collected the information in this story.
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