Copperheads’ Drive Team members (from left) David Case and Preston Childress help “pilot” Rebecca Abbott-McCune lower their team’s robot from the “airship” that it must climb aboard to win points.
Montgomery County Public High Schools each have sports and academic teams and individuals that compete on state level championships.
MCPS has one unique team composing of students and coaches from all four high school strands making their way to a three-state (Maryland, DC and Virginia) championship.
The Copperheads of MCPS will join 500 high school students as they converge on Virginia Commonwealth University Siegel Center to test their teamwork and ingenuity during the FIRST Chesapeake District Championship Sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton, April 7-8.
This district championship is the culmination of seven district qualifying competitions where over 125 teams competed for one of 58 spaces. The Copperheads certainly earned their way.
After six weeks of building a robot and hosting one of the FRC qualifiers at Blacksburg High School, Team 401 had won the Quality Award as well as advanced to the third place in the rankings with a place in the playoff brackets at BHS.
After six weeks of building a robot and hosting one of the FRC qualifiers at Blacksburg High School, Team 401 had won the Quality Award as well as advanced to the third place in the rankings with a place in the playoff brackets at BHS.
The Copperheads traveled to Hampton Roads the weekend of March 17, 2017. Team 401 worked very hard to win the Industrial Safety Award Sponsored by Underwriters Laboratories, which celebrated the team’s efforts beyond safety fundamentals by using innovative ways to eliminate or protect against hazards.
Bryan Cortellese is a BHS senior and co-captain of the Safety Sub-Team. Cortellese said, “It is great honor to have competed twice in qualifiers and now to attend the District Championship. We won the Safety Award due to learning safe habits in the pits, around our robot and in the competition. It is wonderful to be able to compete with and against fellow FRC teams.”
For recognition of Team 401s outstanding success in advancing with growth structure, respect and appreciation for engineering within their schools and community as well as this competition, the Copperheads earned the Engineering Inspiration Award.
Coach Michael Collver, a teacher at Blacksburg High School, said “This award is very validating for Team 401 in how its shows the hard work of these kids and demonstrates a building presence after all these years.“
This is FRCs first year allowing human players on the Steam Works themed field. When a robot brings a gear to an “airship”, student “pilots” on a high platform help direct the robots to deliver gears to a mechanism and then lifts the gears up to a help make “rotors” works. In the last thirty seconds, pilots must lower a rope for the robot to attempt a five-foot climb to board the airship.
Rebecca Abbott-McCune, a BHS senior, was one of the pilots. McCune said, “It was exhilarating to be above the field to see all the robot drivers intensely maneuvering to score so many points. I felt that I was in a critical position to get the gears loaded. It was an honor to have that position for my team.”
After two days of intense competition on the field at the Hampton Roads Qualifer, Team 401 ranked fifth overall and made it to the tie-breaking round of the semi-finals with second ranked alliance before being eliminated.
Award winners and competition finalists from the Chesapeake District Championship will advance to the FIRST World Championship where tens of thousands of young people from around the meet for the ultimate celebration of science and technology.
After eighteen years of growth to include students from all four high schools, Team 401 hopes to make that trip to St. Louis. To do so, there are many repairs needed on the robot before Richmond. Also, there is a need to raise needed funds for robot parts and travel expenses.
After eighteen years of growth to include students from all four high schools, Team 401 hopes to make that trip to St. Louis. To do so, there are many repairs needed on the robot before Richmond. Also, there is a need to raise needed funds for robot parts and travel expenses.
On Saturday, April 1st, Team 401 will be holding a yard sale at Christiansburg High School. Team families will have clothing, entertainment, household and other items for sale from 7 a.m.-12 p.m. The community is encouraged to visit and see the students who are making great advances in STEM education.
The team will also have “percentage nights” at two restaurants. Panera Bread on University Boulevard in Blacksburg on April 20th will provide Team 401 with a percentage of all sales made that night. Texas Roadhouse is working with Team 401 on a date for a similar fundraising event
Mrs. Nancy Boerth is coach of Team 401 and a teacher at Auburn Middle School won at the Hampton Roads FRC qualifier a nomination of the Woodie Flowers Mentor Award. Boerth is helping students coordinate fundraising opportunities, business planning and providing STEM outreach. Boerth and students were preparing the robot shop at Christiansburg High School for a robot demonstration for local Cub Scouts.
“It is a real sense of pride to see Team 401 as a combined high school program providing opportunities and the potential to learn so much by doing. I hope Montgomery County communities can help with our bid to the championships,” Boerth said.
