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Yonkers' Saunders H.S. Wins First Robotics Competition

YONKERS, N.Y. -- The Saunders Trades & Technical High School Robotics Team was recognized Wednesday morning for taking first place among 66 teams in the 2015 FIRST Robotics Regional Competition held March 13-15. 

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, along with Yonkers School District, ConEdison and the Generoso Pope Foundation, recognize the Saunders Trades & Technical High School Robotics Team at a Wednesday morning ceremony.

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, along with Yonkers School District, ConEdison and the Generoso Pope Foundation, recognize the Saunders Trades & Technical High School Robotics Team at a Wednesday morning ceremony.

Photo Credit: Contributed

The students were recognized by Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, Yonkers Schools Superintendent Michael Yazurlo, Bob Bevil of Con Edison, and David Pope, CEO and president of the Generoso Pope Foundation. 

The Saunders Droid Factory competed at the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Tech) Robotics Regional Competition. It is the premier international high school robotics challenge, where teams of students build a robot from a common kit of parts that can complete a task. The Saunders team won with their exceptional robot, Robot Leonard, named after the late Leonard Nimoy. The team had six weeks to design, prototype and construct a highly functioning robot to perform a specific task – this year’s competition consisted of stacking totes and cans which the robot had to place on a scoring platform.

Participating students received a certificate of excellence from Mayor Spano. The team’s trip to the world championship in St. Louis in April will be funded entirely by in-kind donations from Con Edison, the Generoso Pope Foundation and the city of Yonkers Industrial Development Agency.

Mayor Spano said, “The advancement of the robotics team to the world championship puts our students on a world stage that will provide them an experience of a lifetime – we are thrilled to assist our Yonkers students succeed and excel. We wish them the best of luck."

Yazurlo said, “We believe in our Saunders students and anticipate more stardom from the upcoming international competition."

Bevil said, “This is yet another example of young men and women using teamwork and determination to become winners. Saunders High School students are champions on a different field. And we know they will make us proud as they move on to the national championship in St. Louis."

The Saunders Droid Factory consists of Brian Rivera: Lead Programmer and Electrician; James Kaufman: Programmer and Electrician; Giovanni Balbuena: Driver; Christian Giraldo: Driver; Patrick Silva Da Cruz: Human Player; Kevin Perez: Spokesperson; Benny Mena: Pit Administrator; Emma Sahibjan: Secondary Pit Administrator; Daniel Kasten: Assistant Pit Administrator; Jon Figura: Head Scout; Karthik Maddur: Head Pit Scout; Joseph Kim: Pit Scout; Frank Swiatowicz: Pit Scout; Joseph Nicotina: Pit Scout; Joseph Venturini: Scout; Nicholas Weaver: Scout; Akash Shroff: Scout; Alberto Mejia: Scout; Pablo Salvador: Scout; Sheikh Ali: Scout; Musa Ali: Scout; Carolina Perez: Scout; and Sergio Iraheta: Scout.

 

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