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On January 7, nine members of Team 9315 Coding Comets participated in the FIRST Robotics Kick-off held in North Charleston, South Carolina. Although the robotics team is just returning to the tournament after the pandemic, they are still considered a rookie team since none of the students have ever competed in the high school competition. FIRST equips the students with hands-on experience in coding, wiring, building, mechanics and other essential skills that would be invaluable for them in any engineering field.
Students inquiring about options for transporting robots to and from competitions.
Students learning technical terms to identify screws and tools used for building.
Team 9315 is composed of high school students who are interested in engineering, science and government careers. Due to a lack of funding, the team was not able to participate in scrimmage activities held earlier in the school year despite one event occurring in the same school district. To avoid having issues like this repeated, parents and members of the community rallied together to form a non-profit organization focused on raising funds and resources to enable these students and others like them to take advantage of academically challenging extracurricular opportunities that would prepare them for success. Thanks to donations made by family, friends and community businesses such as HPG and Company, The Association of Blacks in Energy and The Creative @2.1.8, the magnet booster provided transportation and meals for the students to participate in this first event of the season. Members of the ETA Chapter of the Kappa Lambda Chi Military Fraternity, Inc. volunteered to drive and assist as chaperones. This trip was nothing short of amazing for the robotics team as they participated in several choice workshops, networked with other South Carolina FIRST teams, and explored a fully stocked workshop used by one of the largest robotics programs in the state.
Members of Team 9315 Coding Comets include Takiyah Abernathey, Davion Curenton, MacKenzie Glover, Bella Green, Jaeden Middleton, Jaelah Middleton, Ahmariah Pagan, Donquarious Pagan, and Carhi Wilson. They are now entering the build phase of the competition which will prepare them for two upcoming South Carolina FIRST events. Team activities can be followed on their social media page and the website www.nomasteam.org. If you are interested in making donations to support the Coding Comets Robotics Team, checks made payable to WJK Cluster STEAM Booster Club may be mailed to PO Box 882, Blythewood, SC 29016. The organization also takes CashApp donations at $WJKSTEAMbooster. All donations are tax-deductible.
Students enjoying dinner while discussing ideas for future building.
Students met members of Team 342 after receiving donated parts required for building this year's robot.
Parents and community partners inquiring about the tools required for construction.
Students watching FIRST Robotics kickoff to prepare for the season.
These team members, parents and community volunteers traveled to Fort Dorchester High School to participate in workshops pertaining to building and judging robots in the SC FIRST Robotics Competition.
About the Authors: Dr. LeConte' Richardson Middleton is a career educator, wife and mother of four. She is a hobby farmer, chicken keeper, blogger, freelance writer and certified professional coach who enjoys spending time in the garden and teaching others to grow and preserve their own food. Jaeden Middleton is an aspiring engineer who is a coder and technician for Team 9315 Coding Comets Robotics Team.
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