Gateway High robotics team asks district to budget $10,000 annual for competition fees

Students from Gateway High School’s Quasix robotics team asked the Gateway School District board for $10,000 in annual support to cover competition registration and ensure the program’s continuity, presenting Tuesday evening during the meeting’s public agenda segment.

The request, presented by robotics adviser Sean McMahon and Quasix students, said registration alone for one regional competition runs about $6,000, limiting how many events the team can enter. “We’re trying to request annual funding and get this into the budget,” said Salma, a senior and team member. She told the board the requested $10,000 would be directed “specifically towards competition registration fees.”

The students said Quasix this year includes 33 members and runs both a high school program (19 seasons) and a middle-school FIRST LEGO League program (six seasons). They highlighted community outreach—partner demonstrations with Monroeville Parks & Rec and Monroeville Public Library, running STEM workshops for Girl Scouts, and volunteering at regional competitions. The team said it has handed out large numbers of STEM badges and has logged extensive volunteer hours: “We volunteered 1500 hours in the past 2 and a half years,” the presenters said.

Students and their adviser described recent sponsorships and supports (including a recurring gift from the Heinz Endowments and one-time grants such as from the Dean Haas Foundation), ongoing sponsor outreach, and a GoFundMe the team used when it qualified for the world championships in a prior season. Team members said they continue to solicit corporate and local donations but that registration costs alone are currently constraining program participation.

Board members asked questions about program operations and upside for students. One board member asked how varsity letters are awarded; the students explained a two-year requirement that includes attendance, academic standing and community outreach, a process developed with previous administration. Board member John asked the senior where she planned to attend college; she said Cornell University for mechanical and aerospace engineering.

There was no formal vote on the funding request during the presentation; board members asked follow-up questions and thanked the students for outreach and volunteerism. The students said they would continue sponsor outreach whether or not the district provided the requested registration funding.

The presentation closed with the students offering to answer further questions and the board thanking them for their demonstration and community work.