On March 18 and 19, the Reading Memorial High School (RMHS) robotics team, the Robockets, will host the North Shore District Event in the Hawkes Field House at RMHS, 62 Oakland Road. Attendance to this event is free and open to the public. Opening ceremonies will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday) the event will re-open at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.
This high school robotics competition, sponsored by FIRST Steamworks, includes forty teams from around New England who have each constructed a competition robot within a mandated window of six weeks. Each student team programs, manufactures from basic materials, and assembles these complex robots themselves and prepares for the various aspects of the competition.
The event begins with qualifications. These will take place on Saturday and will last into Sunday morning. Teams will be selected at random to compete in alliances of three to score rank points and advance their seed going into the playoffs! In the playoffs eight alliances will face off. Only one alliance will be crowned as victor of the tournament.
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.
The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting Mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.
