Somerville High robotics team showcases outreach, awards and a $50,000 operating budget

Somerville High School students from Team 102, the Gearheads, presented their program, recent awards and outreach activities to the Somerville Public School District Board of Education on May 13.

The students described a season that included three competitions (Robbinsville, Montgomery and the district championship at Lehigh) and two awards: the imagery award at Robbinsville and the district engineering inspiration award at Montgomery. “It costs, expensive. It costs, we have a budget of around $50,000 to operate every year,” a team presenter said, noting district and sponsor support.

The team outlined technical features of this season’s robot — a funnel intake for PVC pipes, a three-stage elevator, a shooter mechanism and a vision tag system — and listed outreach work that the board called out as a community asset. Students said the team mentors and members lead events such as Triple Con and a two-day Robocon event that draws other FIRST teams; they also mentor a FIRST Lego League team that received a Breakthrough Award.

Student leaders described a mobile scouting app their group developed called ScoutRadios and said nearly 10% of FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) teams register with it; the students said the app is used by teams in about 30 U.S. states and 10 countries and has language translations. “It allows us to connect with teams from all over the world,” one student said.

Board members asked about middle-school outreach and cost barriers; students said they try to visit middle schools when possible but noted scheduling and funding limit visits. The team also credited a recently purchased CNC machine with saving time and helping reduce robot weight: “our CNC take our belly pan and kind of strip out… non useful parts,” a student explained, saying that capability helped the team meet the competition weight class.

Students also recounted an out-of-state trip to the Houston world championship, where they met industry representatives and described internship and sponsorship opportunities they encountered; the students said the experience was “life changing” and expanded their view of career pathways.

Superintendent Levisco and several board members praised the team’s presentation and community impact. The board’s public comments included recognition of the way Gearheads members assisted another team at Montgomery by diagnosing and repairing a broken part so that team could continue competing.

The presentation included a schedule of upcoming public events the team will run or attend, including a 3D-printing and combat-robotics demo at the mall on May 17 and the Robocon event Sept. 27–28. Students repeatedly emphasized the program’s emphasis on outreach, mentorship and sustaining alumni involvement.

The board did not take formal action on the presentation itself; members thanked the students and encouraged continued outreach.