Lee’s Summit R-7 Robotics Alliance Teams Honored at Missouri Capitol
Posted by GSDispatch Editor in by Jeff Grisamore, Edu, GSD Online
Area High School Robotics Teams Recognized on House Floor for National Achievements
Jefferson City—On May 11th, robotics teams from Lee’s Summit High School, Lee’s Summit West and Lee’s Summit North were at the Missouri Capitol to be recognized for their national achievements.
Lee's Summit West's Team Titanium Robot Kicks Soccer Ball in Capitol Rotunda
The three teams, which make up the Lee’s Summit R-7 Robotics Alliance, were at the Capitol at the invitation of Rep. Jeff Grisamore, R—Lee’s Summit/Greenwood. Grisamore represents the 47th District in which all three high schools are located.
“Lee’s Summit is the only city in the nation with more than one public high school in which all high schools in such a city have qualified together for nationals in the same year,” said Grisamore. “Our high schools have done it in two consecutive years. That is an incredible achievement and a testimony to the outstanding team members, their teachers and sponsors,” he added.
At the start of Tuesday’s session, Grisamore introduced all three teams and spoke on the House floor about their achievements. During his floor remarks, he pointed out that next year the FIRST Robotics World Championships will be held in Missouri in St. Louis.
Bryan Pratt, Speaker Pro Tem of the Missouri House of Representatives—who was presiding in the House at the time—had the teams come to the front of the House chamber where they received an enthusiastic round of applause from House members.
Rep. Grisamore, Kraus and Speaker Pro Tem Bryan Pratt with Lees Summit West Team Titanium
Following the floor speech by Rep. Grisamore in honoring each team, Pratt had the teams ascend the steps to the Dais to have pictures taken with him, Rep. Grisamore and Rep. Will Kraus, R—Lee’s Summit/Raytown.
“I am pleased that all three robotics teams from Lee’s Summit high schools made it to the national level,” said Rep. Will Kraus. “It shows that the Lee’s Summit community is solidly behind the robotics teams and the educational quality of Lee’s Summit schools.”
Lee’s Summit West’s Team Titanium—Team1986—qualified for nationals at the Minneapolis regionals. The team has qualified for nationals for two consecutive years. This year, Team Titanium was a finalist at the nationals in the Curie Division, consisting of more than 80 teams. Team Titanium also won the Control Award sponsored by Rockwell Automation at the nationals in Atlanta.
Lees Summit North Broncobots with Speaker Pro Tem Bryan Pratt and Representatives Grisamore and Kraus
Lee’s Summit North’s Broncobots —Team1987—have qualified for nationals for three consecutive years. This year, they earned the team Chairman’s Award, Website Award and Entrepreneurial Award at the Oklahoma City Regionals. The Broncobots have qualified for nationals for three consecutive years.
Lee’s Summit High School’s Team Driven—Team1730—has also qualified for nationals for two consecutive years. This year, Team Driven won the Excellence in Design Award sponsored by Autodesk and the Engineering Inspiration Award at the Kansas City regionals, which qualified them for nationals in Atlanta that was held April 15 through 17th.
Team Driven team member Paul Sites also joined Colin Robinette of Lee’s Summit West’s Team Titanium as the only individuals at the Kansas City regionals in March to win the Dean’s List Award respectively, which qualified them both for nationals as well.
Lees Summit High School Robotics Team Driven with Representatives Grisamore and Kraus and Speaker Pro Tem Pratt
The Dean’s List Award is named after FIRST Robotics Co-Founder, Dean Kamen—inventor of the Segway—who with Woody Flowers of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) founded FIRST Robotics. Flowers, who attended the Kansas City regionals, told Grisamore that about 10 percent of incoming freshmen at MIT are FIRST Robotics alumni.
FIRST Robotics, for which its acronym means “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,” has grown to about 1000 teams with over 200,000 students participating worldwide.
Grisamore presented framed resolutions to Sites and Robinette and to each of the three teams, as well as individual resolutions to each team member present from the three Lee’s Summit public high school robotics teams.
During the competitions this year, the teams have built and operated student-created robots that play soccer against each other in an alliance of three robots on each team.
Lee's Summit R-7 Robotics alliance robots demonstrate their mobility in the Capitol Rotunda
The teams also posed for pictures in the Senate chamber. After being recognized on the House floor, all three teams operated their robots in a soccer demonstration in the Capitol Rotunda. They were also taken through the governor’s office for a tour and briefing.
“Watching all three of our Lee’s Summit Robotics teams compete at the Kansas City regionals was incredible. From the pit area were teams work on their robots to the game floor set up like a soccer field with obstacles, the event looked like a NASCAR event,” said Grisamore. “The lights, music and the speed and action of the robots kicking and blocking soccer balls and playing team offense and defense was amazing—all by remote control.”
