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Lewiston robotics team approved to attend New England district championships in Massachusetts
Summary
The Lewiston Regional Technical Center FIRST robotics team earned a district berth and the School Committee unanimously approved a field trip to West Springfield, Mass.; the team continues fundraising to cover remaining costs.
The Lewiston School Committee unanimously approved a field trip request for the Lewiston Regional Technical Center (LRTC) FIRST robotics team to attend the New England district championships in West Springfield, Massachusetts, on April 5.
The team earned the district berth after finishing as silver medalists at the Pine Tree district event, coach and LRTC director Rob Callahan said. "We served our way through playoffs and came off finalist and got silver medalist ... and we earned a spot to New England districts," student scouting captain Logan Warren said.
The team told the committee it has raised about $9,000 so far but estimates the total cost of attending districts at roughly $14,700. Team members said lodging is the largest single item (about $8,000) and the event/registration and robot entry fees are roughly $5,000. Student Hamdi Mohammed, the team's lead fundraiser, said outside donations and checks were still arriving and that some pledged funds had not yet been deposited.
Superintendent Jake Langley told the committee the district can contribute from student activity accounts. "I think we have somewhere in the neighborhood of $9,000 to contribute to this amount, with the understanding that this group will continue to fundraise," Langley said, and added the district could help close any remaining gap if the committee approved the trip.
Member Janet Boden moved to approve the field trip; Member Craig Charpentier seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
The students offered to return after districts with a demonstration if the robot survives the competition and the committee indicated interest in a post-competition visit and update.
The committee and the team thanked mentors Kathy County and John Drescher and the LRTC staff for supporting the program. "Without your support, we don't know where we would be right now," Mohammed said.
The committee's approval covers the requested travel and district participation; fundraising and exact funding sources remain in progress.
