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Date: 11/9/2022
HUNTINGTON — Gateway Regional High School has started a FIRST competitive robotics team that meets weekly on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
The team is led by Deanna LeBlanc, Gateway’s curriculum director, and Nick Balboni, an engineer with Raytheon Technologies and a parent of two of the five team members. Balboni said it’s not too late for any student in grades 9-12 to join the team.
“I got into robotics because my own children did it for 10 years in Agawam,” said LeBlanc. Last year, the Gateway team visited the Agawam competitive robotics team to learn more about the program, and this summer their team came to Gateway Regional summer camp during STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Week for a demonstration and an activity.
At the Nov. 2 Gateway team meeting, team members James von Deck of Chester, and Jesse Balboni and Caleb Mann of Russell, were unpacking the FIRST robotics parts and reading directions on how to build their robot. Two teammates, Isa Vera-Ortiz and Cece Balboni, were not present at that meeting.
FIRST — For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology — organizes tournaments worldwide in which high school robotics teams compete with each other, initially on a regional basis but with an opportunity to qualify for state, national and world championships. Every year FIRST issues a new challenge, a task that that year’s robot has to perform, and teams have a limited amount of time to design, build and program their robots before competitions begin.
LeBlanc said one of the most important aspects of the team is that it’s hands-on for the students.
“We’re just here to advise,” she said. She said the goal of the team is to compete in February. “As long as we have a functioning robot, it’s a victory,” she said.
LeBlanc said she is familiar with the competitions from her kids’ involvement.
“Competitions are neat. They form alliances with teams in a match, and compete against them in a later match. It’s really neat to watch them navigate that.”
Balboni said a part of the competition is having the judges speak to team members and ask them questions.
“They don’t want volunteers and teachers doing the work for them,” he said.
On his team, however, Balboni said at least four out of the five members are interested in pursuing STEM fields.
“If cooking doesn’t work out, I’d want to go into architecture or STEM. I like them both equally,” said Mann.
Mann, who moved to the area from Arizona, is the only one on the team with some experience in robotics. He said in his old elementary school out west they had a Lego robotics team.
LeBlanc said the robotics team involves building, mechanical, electronic and programming work, “telling it what to do.” She said there is also the opportunity to print pieces for the robot on a 3D printer.
Balboni said as an engineer, it’s exciting to see this come together: “A lot of engineering is practical application. Try it, see if it works, figure it out if it doesn’t.”
He said funding is critical for the team. They received a start-up grant from Raytheon Technologies for the robot and to participate in one competition. They need sponsors for tools — they currently have one screwdriver between them — supplies, accessory add-ons and supplies for 3-D printers.
Anyone interested in joining or sponsoring the team may reach out to dleblanc@grsd.org.