APS High Schools’ Robotics Teams Win Big

March has proven to be a winning month for Atlanta Public Schools’ FIRST Robotics teams. Earlier this month, Carver, Grady, Jackson, North Atlanta, and Washington High Schools all competed in qualifying tournaments across Georgia. FIRST is designed to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology, and to motivate them to pursue education and career opportunities in STEM fields. There are currently 6,000 teams competing around the world.

Here are the highlights:

• Carver’s Team Clutch was chosen to join the third seeded alliance and ended the tournament as Quarterfinalists at the Columbus qualifier
• Washington’s Atomic-Robotic-Dogs were chosen to join the second seeded alliance and ended the tournament as Finalists after being narrowly defeated by the fourth seed at the Columbus qualifier.
• Grady’s G3 Robotics were the Winners of the Gainesville qualifier on March 4-5. At the Columbus, Georgia, tournament, G3 captained the fifth-seeded alliance and ended the tournament as Quarterfinalists.
• Grady’s G3 Robotics were also honored with three major awards:
• Industrial Design Award, which celebrates form and function in an efficiently designed machine that effectively addresses the game challenge.
• Entrepreneurship Award celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit by recognizing a team that has developed the framework for a comprehensive business plan to scope, manage and achieve team objectives. G3’s business operations team won the award by developing a comprehensive business plan; writing a series of essays about their team’s goals, organization and partnership; and by communicating these ideas effectively to judges in one-on-one interviews in the pits at the event.
• Chairman’s Award – the most prestigious award in FIRST Robotics – honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST. G3 won this award based upon the team’s passion and accomplishments around team goals: robots for all; building awesome robots; drones for good; and developing a STEM pipeline.

Grady will now move on to play in the Peachtree State Championship at the University of Georgia, April 6-8. Washington and Carver may also qualify, as final determination of qualifying events are held next weekend. Jackson High School will play next weekend in Albany in hopes of qualifying for the state championship.