With nearly 40 members representing all four grades, the robotics team is a hidden gem at Scituate High School. Their workspace, located next to the fitness center, is filled with large workbenches, various tools, parts, and several different robot prototypes. Similar to a sports team, the club meets for long hours; however, there is no off-season.

According to club president SHS senior Claire Murray, the competition season takes place from January to March, but the team is “active for the entirety of the school year.” From September to the end of December, the team meets at least once weekly to train new members, build new prototypes, and improve their skill set before the competitions start. The team must program, design, build, and fundraise for their new robot as soon as January hits. Murray commented that the club is in a constant state of “go, go, go.”

The schedule consists of two competitions, with over 70 matches per competition. The competitions are similar to a sports match–the robots have to “play” both offense and defense, forming teams to play against one another. The best teams continue to playoffs, and last year the SHS team was among the finalists in one playoff and won the other! The 2023 team came home with great results, winning one competition and pushing it to the semifinals in the other because of their fantastic defensive skills.

The designing and building process is complex. Once the competition is announced, the team spends a day analyzing the rules and concepts of the game. Team members begin thinking of the best way to solve the problem. These ideas are then put into computer programming designs like CAD, so other team members can understand them and make any alterations to the product. The team prioritizes what it wants the robot to accomplish and then builds prototypes. Teams share their progress and support each other in online forums. The process comes with vast amounts of trial and error.

The SHS robotics team is part of FIRST, the organization that coordinates the annual international competitions.  The costs to participate and build a robot annually add up to an astounding $20,000. SHS parent Annemarie Galvin, the team’s lead fundraising mentor, organizes this effort. She works alongside students to reach out to companies for sponsorships, donations, and grants. Because of the amount required, members reach out to high-tech companies, engineering-related firms, and local hardware stores for donations. Sponsoring businesses are displayed on the team’s website, competition t-shirts, and the robot. The team also fundraises with car washes and flower sales.

SHS math and programming teacher Kerri Hallihan works with SHS parent Sylvain Dumet as lead mentors. Hallihan said she enjoys helping students expand their learning beyond the classroom. “I love it, and it is so exciting to be a part of the team.” Dumet has extensive experience in all aspects of engineering and design. Hallihan remarked, “Without Mr. Dumet, there is no team. He guides students on every aspect of building the robot.”

During the season, the team spends four to five days a week in the lab working until 6:00 or 7:00 PM (or later) each night after school. Team captain SHS junior Clement Dumet shared that he does everything “from marketing to working on the construction and coding for the robot.” When team members aren’t working on the robot, they are learning new skills and sharing their knowledge with other students.

The team’s first competition will be at Bridgewater State University at the Adrian Tinsley Center on Saturday, March 9th, and Sunday, March 10th.  Open from 10:30 AM to 7:00 PM on Saturday and from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Sunday, this exciting event is open to the public, and Hallihan hopes to see support from the Scituate community. Anyone who plans to attend is encouraged to wear pink, which is the team’s color.

Hallihan described the competition as “moving, inspiring, and enthralling.” She said, “I’ve never seen anything like a FIRST competition. The level of excitement, collaboration, inclusivity, knowledge, and problem-solving is beyond anything I could have ever imagined at the high school level.”

Scituate’s team looks as promising as ever. Clement Dumet expressed gratitude for the team’s supporters, saying, “We can’t do what we do without the overwhelming support from our advisors, mentors, and sponsors.”

Good luck, SHS Robotics!