AYER — Forty-nine members of Ayer Shirley Regional School District’s Andromeda One (FRC 4905) robotics team recently competed in the FIRST Robotics World Championships in Detroit. The team’s robot, Galaktika, was one of 640 from around the world to compete at Cobo Hall before an audience of an estimated 40,000.
“The robot performed great and the team won the Team Spirit Award trophy!” exclaimed team founder and coach Christine Miska after the competition. “This is our first award won at a World Championship event.”
This is what the judges had to say about the ASRSD robotics team: “This team’s inclusive approach embodies a spirit that has impacted thousands of people in their school and surrounding community. Their campaign to get a FIRST program in every school district in Massachusetts proves they are a shining star!”
Students attending the event went to seminars on leadership, STEM careers and “FIRST Like A Girl.” They also explored colleges and picked up promotional items from companies that are already recruiting them for their talents developed from their FIRST experience.
“While in Detroit, the team had the opportunity to explore the Ford Rouge Factory and the Ford Historical Museum,” said Miska. “The students had a blast and got to learn a lot about the history and historical artifacts of Detroit that they are reading about in school. Thank you, Ayer Shirley Regional School District, for the continued support, and thank you, sponsors!”
Andromeda One sponsors include Boston Scientific, Schneider Electric, Analog Devices, the Ayer Shirley Education Foundation (ASEF), BAE Systems, ANSYS, Deloitte, SolidWorks, Pet Food Shop, HUB International, the Lura A. White Elementary School FLL Coaches, the Tyagi Family, the Miska Family, and Ferrite Microwave Technologies.
Although the FIRST robotics competition season has ended, Andromeda One has plans for a busy summer. Besides being at ShirleyFest on the Shirley Historic Town Common on June 9, and Pirone Park for the July 4 celebration on July 7, the team will be helping with the Nashoba Valley Unlimited sports program, the Boy Scouts, and the Ayer Public Library Summer Reading program.
Andromeda One is also sponsoring a fun STEM Week, July 16-20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Ayer Shirley Regional High School. This fun-filled week for students entering grades 4-8 in the fall, includes learning coding for LEGO Mindstorms and many other science and technology activities. The fee for the program is $175, and all proceeds go towards the robotics team.
For more information or to register, contact coachayershirleyfirst@gmail.com.
