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GLOBE- The Midnight Cicadas’ scored a major victory while competing at Arizona’s North Regional FIRST Robotics Challenge (FRC) competition on March 16, where they took first place! The win means they are eligible to go to the FIRST World Championship to be held in Houston April 17-20.
In addition nine students also won first place for the Rockwell Collins Innovation in Control Award for their robot design.
Globe Unified School District’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics program has grown since its beginning in 2013, when we had just one team consisting of five students.
With affiliate support from Globe USD and generous sponsorships from Resolution Copper, Freeport McMoRan and Boeing, among so many others, we have grown from a seedling to a towering tree with many branches. Globe Unified School District’s Midnight Cicadas robotics program now reaches almost every student within the district and networks with our surrounding Gila County school districts as well. The Globe USD Robotics programs encompass a total of seven teams and include participants in grades K-12, a high school robotics elective course, and a classroom-based Lego League curriculum accessed by the entire Copper Rim Elementary School. Our future holds further growth: the program is looking to expand FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) into our middle school during and after school, in addition to mentoring FIRST Lego League (FLL) at the Cobre Valley Youth Club.
Our successes over the years include multiple design awards for all our team divisions, including FLL, FTC and FRC, state invitationals in all divisions, and now our second regional win for team 5059, our FRC division – an automatic qualifier for the World Championship!
We credit our accomplishments to the wonderful partnerships we have throughout the region. These generous donations allow the robotics program to not only finance team growth and participation in competitions, but also advance our team development through investment in shop infrastructure such as: essential parts and tools, technology, and state-of-the-art machinery.
Our thanks go out many times over to all who have supported us throughout the past six years. We appreciate you for valuing the potential of our students. Your support ensures that our youth are prepared for the rigor and challenges they will face during their future advanced educations and careers in STEM!
The Midnight Cicadas are actively looking for donations to not only assist with our trip to the World Championship in Houston, but also ensure the longevity of Globe Unified School District’s robotics program.
To make a donation, please contact Noelle Anderson at: Noelle.anderson1@globeschools.org or visit https://www.globeschools.org/Page/1292 to make an Arizona Tax Credit donation.
Courtesy photos by Kagan Photography and Team 5059
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