Clarke students look into the future

An event involving racing robots and the formation of alliances could be straight out of a science fiction novel. 

But such an event actually took place — for the 12th time — at Hofstra on March 25 and 26. W.T. Clarke High School was among 50 teams competing in the School Business Partnerships of Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Center. Clarke did not qualify for the final round on Saturday afternoon. 

Months of training and preparation were on display as Clarke put its robot to the test against others from across the county. It was the first competition for 16-year-old juniors Joseph Palazzolo and Jennifer Papazian, who plan to become engineers. They had a chance to operate the robot during one of the morning matches on Friday. 

“It was an adrenaline rush,” Papazian said. 

The SBPLI FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) competition creates a new mission, or game plan, for the robots each year. This year’s game, entitled Lego Motion, was announced in early January, giving teams six weeks to construct their 120-pound robots. 

The competition, which took place on a 27-by-54-foot field, pitted two alliances of three teams aiming to accumulate points. Points were attained by directing robots to collect triangular, circular and square Lego pieces, which were then hung by mini “bots” on the team’s assigned poles on each side of the field. 

Michael Connors, who graduated from Clarke in 1977, has mentored his alma mater’s squad since the program’s inception 10 years ago. In addition to a class during the school day, the robotics team meets after school and works on their robot for hours. Though the six-week window of preparation is a challenge, it introduces the students to hurdles that professional engineers face. 

“This puts such a real-world spin on it because of the deadline,” Connors said.