Great Neck South High School students doing ‘the robot’

Joe Nikic

While the days of jocks and cheerleaders dominating the high school scene are long gone, a new trend has taken over, and you can see it in action at Great Neck South High School.

Technology Department Head John Motchkavitz said South High’s robotics program gives the opportunity for students of all interests to be a part of a team they feel comfortable in.

“It’s funny that everything doesn’t just focus on the robot. It focuses on the team that’s built from having to work on the robot,” Motchkavitz said. “Those late nights and working together and solving problems, that’s really what it’s all about.”

The program began in September 2007 after Motchkavitz and technology teacher Matt Corrigan agreed to implement an after-school robotics team and school curriculum.

“At first, I wasn’t sure about starting it because it’s a major undertaking,” Motchkavitz said. “I sat down with Matt Corrigan and I said ‘you know what? Maybe this is the right guy to do this with.’”

He said in the program’s early stages, he and Corrigan developed short-term and long-term plans to lay the foundation for the program’s growth.

As he looks at dangling championship banners in the school’s robotics workroom, Motchkavitz said all of their goals have already been accomplished.

Entrepreneur Dean Kamen founded “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,” or FIRST, in 1989 to spark young people’s technological interests through robots.

Motchkavitz said Kamen’s vision extended much further than just teaching students about robotics, it was preparing them for what life would bring in the adult world.

“It’s true education because it’s kids working together and it’s kids solving problems and doing what they will have to in life,” he said.

Beginning the first week of January, robotics students spend a fast-paced six-week period designing and constructing a robot to be used in various competitions.

Motchkavitz said more than 100 students spend long hours after school to complete their robot before they need to submit it for entry into March regional competitions on Long Island and in Rochester.

He also said students choose to spend their free time with the robotics program because no matter what their interest, there is a place for them on the team.

“We have one boy who does all of our video stuff. He’s not even a robotics guy, he’s more into videotaping,” Motchkavitz said. “He’s going to college for that. He’s great for us because it’s a part of the team and we need that.”

“There’s only a couple of drivers but it’s the pit crew that makes it happen,” he added.

Students begin early stage designing of their robot in wood, then CAD, or Computer Aided Design, it on the computer for a more specific rendering of the robot.

They then begin constructing the robot using parts and tools under the supervision of Motchkavitz and Corrigan.

Ryan Motchkavitz, John’s son and robotics team vice president, said the robotics season was his “favorite time of the school year.”

Since the program’s inception, South High has won more than a dozen awards at regional and national competitions including everything from best overall to best safety awards.

Motchkavitz said he and Corrigan constantly stress the importance of safety to students, so much so that they strive to win safety awards at competitions.

The success of the robotics program has stretched beyond just an after-school activity.

South High has incorporated robotics into its curriculum with three basic level classes offered, and one advanced robotics course where students can earn three college credits by taking.

Motchkavitz said Great Neck South and North Middle Schools both have robotics teams and the district’s four elementary schools all have robotics included in its curriculum as well.

Twelfth grade student and robotics co-president Jonathan Perlman said joining robotics was key in figuring out post-high school life.

“It has definitely opened up a lot of doors,” Perlman said. “It told me what I wanted to do when I go to college and get a job.”

While the robotics team’s successes are something he is proud of, Motchkavitz said, he is very proud of the growth of female students in the program.

He said when the program first started, only two girls joined, but this year they had a 60 to 40 percent ratio of males to females.

Ally Mittler, a 12th grade student and the program’s other co-president, said girls may not fully understand what goes on in the robotics team, so they are hesitant in joining.

“I think it’s just intimidating to join something you don’t know anything about. It just seems that people enforce it more on guys than on girls,” Mittler said. “It’s definitely easier to join the club once you see the development that girls are joining and girls are thriving.”

Perlman and Mittler both said the program helped them gain confidence and leadership skills.

While the program has grown over the years, Motchkavitz said, it relies heavily on fundraising and outside donations, despite big support from the school.

He said the Gold Coast-Lake Success Rotary Club is one of the program’s biggest sponsors, but they receive donations from all types of groups and individuals.

Motchkavitz also said the Great Neck Alert Fire Company gives CPR certification to all of the program’s students, a valuable ability to have beyond the robotics team.

“It’s not just about people giving us a check for money,” he said. “It’s also about doing services and supporting us.”

Motchkavitz said he believes the program will continue to grow for a long time because of its effect on students.

“It’s something for everyone,” he said. “If you can make perfect educational choices, this is it because it incorporates all the things that are right with education”

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