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Pomperaug-area robotics team showcases season, fundraising and outreach to school board
Summary
Members of the district’s robotics team, Team 2064 'Panther Project,' presented their robot, recapped competition results and fundraising ($20,000 raised) and invited the board to an off-season championship in May.
Members of Regional School District 15’s high-school robotics team (Team 2064, Panther Project) presented their robot and season highlights to the Board of Education during the April 7 meeting, reporting competition success, outreach activities and fundraising.
The team described this season’s challenge (an aquatic-themed game called “Reefscape”), showed video from district competitions and explained that the robot performs an autonomous routine during the first 15 seconds of each match. Team members said they were invited to the New England District Championship and will attend the CIAC off‑season championship in Connecticut in May.
The team reported a successful outreach and fundraising year. A student presenter said, “This year, our team raised a total of $20,000, and $10,000 of which were within a two-week period” in the lead-up to the district championship. The presenters thanked parent mentors, school staff and community partners for practice space, media coverage and logistical support that the team said contributed to on-field results and off-field outreach.
Team composition and community invitation The students told the board the present delegation included several seniors and many freshmen; the full team comprises about 15 members. Build captain Matthew Whitmire introduced himself during the presentation: “I’m Matthew Whitmire. I’m the build captain,” and described the team’s development work and match strategy. Students invited board members and the public to attend their May event and encouraged the board to visit practice sessions in the district’s gym space.
Why this matters The presentation highlighted extracurricular STEM opportunities for district students, the role of volunteer mentors and the extent of district and community support (practice space, media promotion). The team framed fundraising and outreach as essential to sustaining the program’s competitive season and community engagement.
Ending Board members thanked the students for the presentation and for representing the district at regional competitions; several board members and staff invited the team to continue reporting on progress and to return with updates after May competitions.
