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Grafton students win regional honors as robotics qualifies for state and Graphonics advances in competition
Summary
Grafton High School students reported that the FTC robotics team qualified for state for the first time (finishing sixth of 32), raised more than $17,000 in sponsorships and secured an invitation to a July Chicago invitational. Graphonics placed second at quarterfinals and performed before about 1,000 people at the Paps Theater.
Students updated the board on extracurricular achievements at the March 23 meeting, highlighting robotics outreach and acappella successes.
Matthew Wiper, programming lead for the FTC robotics team known as the Random Engineers, said the team grew this season and has engaged with industry mentors, local sponsors and community events. “This year, we’ve met with 18 experts in engineering, business, and programming fields,” he said. The team reported more than $17,000 in sponsorships this season, with Matrix and its parent company PMMI contributing nearly $6,000 in cash, mentorship and parts.
Wiper and business lead Jacob Nestler said the team finished sixth out of 32 at state — the first time the program qualified for state — and will attend a Chicago invitational in July. They described outreach at 21 events that reached about 1,500 people and said they are mentoring middle‑school teams and planning summer camps.
Sha Chri and Juna Eberman updated the board on Graphonics, Grafton High’s acappella group. Sha said the group placed second at quarterfinals and performed at the Paps Theater in front of nearly 1,000 people; the program is adding an underclassmen ensemble (Hak Capella) to strengthen sustainability as seniors graduate.
Board members asked about individual awards and sustainability plans; students pointed to increased mentorship, outreach and recruitment as priorities. The board applauded the students and later recognized the robotics team during superintendent remarks.
