News Release
April 2, 2007
Ridge View Academy Wins March 2007 US FIRST Robotics Regional Competition
In August 2006 RVA began the planning and coordination for the March 2007 US FIRST Robotics competition, the third year of competition for the school.
The US FIRST organization represents: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. In 2007, the FIRST Robotics Competition, will reach more than 32,500 high-school students on 1,300 teams in 37 regional competitions. The FIRST Robotics Competition teams professionals and young people to solve an engineering design problem in an intense and competitive way.
Teamwork involved all aspects of the school. Volunteers Chuck Brant and Adam Bryant worked with RVA teaching and vocational staff Mr. Burchill and Mr. Gibbens to coordinate activities that involved vocational and academic programs. Students began initial planning and design early in the year and when the time came to build the RVA "RAMBOT", they were prepared!
The process requires that all teams have six weeks to design and build a robot that competes against other teams in performing competition routines. One of the terrific aspects of the FIRST competition is the emphasis on teamwork and mentoring. This year RVA was able to mentor Abraham Lincoln High School, a DPS high school whose team made a strong showing into the quarter finals of the three day competition.
The RVA Robotics teams consisted of eight student athletes who represent core academics and vocational programs. The team represented itself by wearing tuxedo shirts, bowties and black pants, they were the best dressed team in the competition! Over the course of the competition the RVA team demonstrated teamwork, and collegiality with other teams. As the RVA team progressed through the quarter finals into the semi-finals there was a clear indication that the RVA team was the team to beat. In the final round, the best two out of three rounds determined the winner. As RVA overcame a ROBOT breakdown they were able to team up with ROBOTIC teams from Arvada High School and Mont Clair High School from New Jersey. As the final round drew to a close, RVA and the two other schools were the regional winners. In addition to winning the regional competition, the RVA team was awarded the Underwriters Lab Industrial Safety Award and the Johnson and Johnson Safety Award.
The Ridge View Robotics team will travel to Atlanta Georgia and with Arvada High School and Mont Clair High School, compete in the US FIRST national robotics competition to be held April 12 through the 15th.