For the first time in school history, NDCL's robotics team has qualified for the FIRST Tech Challenge State Championship Tournament following an impressive performance at the Kent State regional competition last weekend.

	DOUBLE-CHECKING: Robotics team members fine-tune their robot's performance at the Kent State regional competition last weekend. The Lions will advance to the state tournament on February 23.

The Lions will head to Loveland High School—just north of Cincinnati—to compete against the state's top robotics teams on February 23. 

  

In addition to qualifying for the state tournament, the Lions won four major awards at the regional contest:
  
This award recognizes functional and aesthetic design elements of the robot.
  

Junior Allison Daher won this award for demonstrating leadership, passion, technical expertise, and creativity.
  
The Lions won this award for actively promoting relationships with professionals and companies in the engineering, science, and technology community.
 
The Lions snagged this award for their team's compelling video promotion to celebrate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. You can view the video here. 

  

Through the FIRST Tech Challenge program, students design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in head-to-head challenges in an alliance format. Guided by adult coaches and mentors from the professional community, students develop STEM skills and practice engineering principles while realizing the values of hard work, innovation, and working as a team. 

  

Mathematics teacher Mrs. Ashley Kelm, science teacher Mr. Nathan Smith, and academic coach Mr. Tony Hodun advise the NDCL robotics team with professional assistance from Mr. Richard Ruggeri, Rockwell Automation; Mr. Tony Champa, Indelco Plastics; and Mr. Jon Kelm, Lincoln Electric.

STATE-BOUND: NDCL's robotics team celebrates its state-qualifying performance at the Kent State regional competition last Saturday. Team members include freshmen Andrew Chichernea and Nathan Reed, senior Jacob Woodhouse, sophomore Barry Markiewich, senior Brendan Welsh, freshman Vittorio Antonick, senior Kyle Hoffman, and junior Allison Daher.