The Western Center Academy robotics team, The Ducks, are at it again. They secured their spot to compete in the St. Louis FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) World Championship at the end of the month.
Throughout the season, the seven members of the Ducks have dedicated much of their time to ensure they made it back to the World Championships. They meet for four to eight hours a week to focus on building and driving the robot. These four to eight hours does not include the various competitions and outreaches throughout the community.
This year the team ranked third in the overall San Diego region, and were recognized as a team that makes the region better. They competed in the Los Angeles region and were recognized as the model FTC team. They won the Inspiring Award, which is the highest award given, and were crowned Captain of the Champion Alliance. They also received the same awards for the Nevada State Championship. The Ducks were able to advance to the World Championship after placing 2nd in the West Super Regional tournament at the end of March.
The Ducks spend an enormous amount of time building their robot for these competitions, however, these students also go out into the community to help those in need. Two years ago the team started a program called “Trick or Treat so Others Can Eat.” They asked for non-perishable food instead of candy, then donated these goods, as well as blankets the team had made, to the Hemet Restart Shelter. On Veterans Day the team met at Riverside National Cemetery to honor fallen soldiers by placing flags on over 5,000 gravesites. They walked at Diamond Valley Lake to help raise funds for National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Aside from volunteering throughout the community, the team regularly presents to students. They hosted a Robotics Merit Badge for five Boy Scout troops, mentored two new teams, and participated in at least 26 outreach events in the last year.
Congratulations and good luck to Western Center Academy’s robotics team advancing to the World Championship! We are happy your dedication and hard work has led to such a wonderful opportunity.
The Ducks:
Noah Delano
Max Saenz
Josh Beal
Bayley Jones
Cole Alley
Jaiden Pena
Braydon Thomas