Coatesville, Pa. robotics club prepares for FTC World Championship
Out of the Box Robotics will travel to Houston, Texas, to compete from April 20-23.
COATESVILLE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The Coatesville-based club, Out of the Box Robotics, is a part of the nationwide First Tech Challenge Program.
The kids are in charge of designing, building, and finally programming their robot to complete a given task.
The club recently was the recipient of the Inspire Award, which is the highest award in the FTC Program.
Because they received this award, they will be going to Houston, Texas, to compete in the FTC world championship. Of the 6,300 FTC teams globally, only 160 will be honored to compete.
The program aims to spark interest in the kids to get into STEM programs in their futures.
"First programs actually teach kids not only engineering skills-- but also the soft skills they need in life, said Tom Zawislak, program delivery partner with First Tech Challenge Program.
There are many scholarship opportunities for the kids in this program as well. Many club members have been a part of the group for years.
"I love building the robots, but I also like spending time with the team because they are definitely fun," said club member Allison Van, who has been with Out of the Box Robotics for six years.
Some members even come back after they graduate from the program in order to mentor the current members.
Mentor Josh Beauchamp said, "I'm very proud of what the kids have done, and it means a lot to me that they do so well."
The club has competed in this world championship four other times in years past, making this their fifth year.
The team will travel to Houston, Texas, to compete from April 20-23.
They all say no matter what, they will give it their all and learn as much as they can from the experience.
"We want to have fun, obviously want to do well, but basically make it a learning process, especially for the newer guys," said club member Sam Tatum.
