Portledge School unveiled its new robotics program at the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) at Syosset High School on March 1. The FIRST Tech Challenge, a national competition which culminates in the World Championship in April, is sponsored by FIRST ( “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology”) and designed to inspire students in grades 7- 12 to become science and technology leaders. Teams are challenged with designing, building, and programming their robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams, and to develop strategy based on sound engineering principles.
After months of classroom work, Portledge Teacher/Coaches Kevin Coleman and Danny Nelson figured the Portledge team would go to the competition this first time to “learn the ropes.” Instead, the students surprised themselves with a Finalist Alliance Trophy. Coleman attributes the team’s success to three factors: a rugged design for their robot which proved reliable in matches; the maturity and tenacity of the ten students on the team, some of whom are second trimester seniors accustomed to performance pressure; and finally the investment Portledge School wisely made in the technology to build the program right the first time.
Portledge has ramped up its technology program in the last two years to advance STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) learning, but the outcome of the tournament also undoubtedly reflects the Portledge teaching philosophy which emphasizes creativity and collaboration to solve real world problems.
Rather than focusing exclusively on defeating their opponents in the preliminary matches, for example, the Portledge team stuck to their game plan, aggregating points by putting their robot through its paces as rehearsed, and consequently ended up near the top in the point totals going into the alliance rounds.
Once they realized that they were competitive, team members were able organize themselves according to their strengths, with five designated drivers alternating on two remotes and coaches to be their eyes and ears on the ground. Team standout was Senior Jake Levy of Glen Head who was writing code to work out the kinks right up to the night before the competition, and worked on the floor as both driver and coach.
The strong debut of its robotics team may be a harbinger of what’s ahead in the future at Portledge. The school has established partnerships with Winthrop-University Hospital, NYIT and the Waterfront Center, among others, expanding its science offerings to encompass real world experience in order to advance its educational mission.
