Photo by C. Kazee

By David Yu, Clarion Staff

Kennedy’s very own Robotics Team experienced a successful season this year. The team competed in three tournaments during the season.

Their first tournament was the Sacramento Regional, which took place at UC Davis. Their second tournament was the Arizona Regional, which took place at Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff. Their third and final tournament was in Idaho, at Boise State University.  In these tournaments, various Robotics Teams from around the country are placed into teams of three. These teams and their robots must cooperate with each other and compete against other teams in a bracket style system. Kennedy Robotics Team, or Team 3250, performed admirably well. In UC Davis, the Robotics team was able to reach the quarterfinals; at Boise State, they went all the way to the Finals. The Kennedy Robotics Team ranked seventh out of sixty, thirteenth out of fifty two, and fifth out of thirty respectively. In every tournament, the team was usually awarded two awards

One of the leading members of the Robotics Team, Autumn Luna, was one of two in the state of California and one of ten in the world to receive the FIRST (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science and Technology) Dean’s List Finalist Award. The FIRST Dean’s List Finalist Award is an extremely prestigious award that is typically awarded to individuals that have demonstrated leadership and commitment to the ideals of FIRST.  Individuals selected for this award must also exhibit exceptional technical knowledge, creativity, and passion. Every year, ten students are chosen from hundreds to receive this rare award. The Kennedy Robotics team and their robot, Predator, also received the Industrial Design Award, the Industrial Safety Awards, the Quality Award, and the Excellence in Engineering Award.