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Swampscott students showcase robotics and community-service programs
Summary
Swampscott High’s robotics team previewed its robot and upcoming March competitions while National (J)HS students described sustained volunteer efforts at My Brother’s Table, Anchor Pantry and other local programs, highlighting hands-on learning and leadership development.
Swampscott students on Feb. 26 gave the school committee a pair of presentations spotlighting hands‑on STEM and sustained community service.
The Swampscott High robotics team, Team 4311 the Currents, demonstrated this year’s robot, nicknamed “Brandybot,” and described the FIRST Robotics Competition challenge, known as “Rebuild.” Joseph Blood, a team captain, said the robot is built to pick up and launch game balls into goals and that the team will travel to its first regional competition March 13–15. "We’re actually building our biggest robot yet," Blood said, noting the team has grown to more than 30 members and split into subteams for planning, build, CAD and electrical work. Team captain Aiden explained the group plans to meet every day during the final build period and said students rely on community help to transport the robot to events.
The committee praised the students’ progress and local donors, including a $500 gift from Joseph R. Blood HVAC that the committee acknowledged during the meeting.
In a second presentation, Matt Moran, an eighth‑grade math teacher who advises the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS), described a curriculum of monthly volunteer trips and ongoing partnerships. Moran said students regularly serve at My Brother’s Table in Lynn, run food drives for Anchor Pantry in the former police station, collaborate with the senior center on holiday cards and emergency-bag drives, and partnered with the high school’s National Honor Society to prepare 250 bagged lunches in January. "My Brother's Table serves about a million meals every single year," Moran said, explaining why the trips expose students to local needs.
Multiple students described how repeated service shifted their motivation from logging hours to meaningful engagement. Senior George Spios said seeing how services operate "changed my whole perspective of doing community service," and other students highlighted teamwork, leadership and role‑modeling younger students at elementary events.
The committee encouraged students to share livestream links and invited them to return with competition results or follow‑up reports. The presentations closed with applause and community thanks to volunteers and program partners.
The committee’s next business included budget matters and routine votes; no formal decisions about the student programs were required or made at the Feb. 26 meeting.
