Alpena High School Robotics Team Now Ranked 9th in the State
The Alpena High School robotics team is still rolling after a great performance over the weekend.
They managed to come out in second place at the FIRST competition held at Standish Sterling High School. Alpena’s team was one of the highest in scoring when it came to securing game pieces and they also received an award for creativity.
While the competition only continues to get harder, Team Mentor John Caplis is very pleased with the team’s performance so far. It’s also providing the students with an opportunity to improve on their skills regardless of what spot they may hold on the team. “There’s always something for everybody in this robotics program,” Caplis said. “From hands on building of the robot, to strategic scouting of other teams and figuring out how to produce the best alliance, and even business and finance.”
While the students are leading the way, Caplis credits a lot of their success to others in the community as well. “We have some staff members involved, We have community members that are helping out and donating their time,” he said. “We even had a guy donate a trailer so we could get our robot to these events and we wouldn’t be able to do it without the volunteers, mentors, and donors.”
Alpena’s team will now travel to Saginaw Valley State University next month for the state finals. That event will determine whether or not they will return to the worlds competition in Houston later this year. They’re currently ranked ninth in the state.
