After a huge win at the State Championship last month, the Orange Grove Middle School Robotics Team has earned a spot at the First Tech World Championship next month in Houston, Texas.
Orange Grove was just one of two middle schools competing at the state level against 22 high school robotics teams and will be one of two South Carolina schools competing in Texas.
“What an incredible accomplishment for our team, especially considering they are mainly middle school students competing against high school robotics teams,” said Orange Grove CEO John Clendaniel. “The team has worked very hard this year, and I am proud of the significant and comprehensive growth they have experienced, regardless of the outcome in Houston.”
The Orange Grove Hurricanes will spend the week in Houston competing against 191 teams from across the nation as well as 23 countries.
“This is a very big deal,” said Coach Michelle Comen. “I couldn't believe it when we won, and when we got the invite to Houston.”
The team is comprised of nine Orange Grove middle students and three high school students (all Orange Grove alumni). These nine students and their four coaches will fly along with their robot to Houston for the First Tech Championship that begins on April 19th.
“We kept it together for the team photo, and then all the girls, we just cried we were so excited,” said team member Mary Grace Childress.
The FIRST Robotics Competition is a ten-week program in which students build robots designed to compete in a game that changes each year. Students are given sets of parts to use, but they can also use off-the-shelf or custom-made parts.
The Hurricanes are fundraising, with the help of their school, to collect funds for the trip. Donations or company sponsorships can be made via the school website here (include ROBOTICS in comments).
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