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Molokai High School’s Team 7724 competes for the first time during the 12th annual FIRST in Hawaii Robotics Competition on Friday and Saturday on Oahu. Jerome Osurman of iHi Photography

The David among Goliaths of 36 state and international teams secured a winning ticket last weekend to the upcoming world championship of high school robotics.

Molokai High School’s rookie team emerged from five other first-time groups to clinch the Rookie All-Star award at the 12th annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition Hawaii Regional event Friday and Saturday at the University of Hawaii Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, which drew entrants from around the state and international region, including China, Taiwan and Japan.

Molokai’s small but mighty crew, along with Maui High School and five other teams, received an invitation to the World Championships April 17-20 in Houston.

“It was an awesome experience and an eye-opener for these students,” said Molokai after-school robotics team teacher Edwin Mendija. “It was really cool to have an international kind of experience right on Oahu, just to see what different schools are doing.”

Finalist Maui High landed a wild card spot, which opens up for higher-ranking groups by prequalified world teams winning top awards at regional events. Out of 12 years competing, it will be Maui High’s third time at worlds.

“This year, I felt like we held our own,” said award-winning robotics teacher Keith Imada. “Each part of it, and everybody, came together.”

Imada leads the 31-student team with Maui High teacher Neill Nakamura, along with mentors Don Suzuki, Ross Matoi and Jason Hirata.

The Molokai team has seven students, mostly female, ranging from freshman to senior grade levels. On average, high school robotics teams have more than 20 students and multiple mentors and teachers, Mendija said.

“We have to be resourceful,” he added.

Historically working on smaller robotics, the Molokai team started with no funding in 2010 and gradually built financial support and participation. Students practice weekdays from about 2 to 5 p.m., and the season is year-round. At the start of the school year, Mendija said, he felt it was a good time to transition to FIRST, “the varsity of competition robotics,” where robots are much larger. Plus, he said, in order to qualify for regionals, the team has a six-week deadline to design, build and program a robot, getting it to run successfully. It’s then sealed for competition day.

Old electric signs. Extra metal laying around. And only a drill and a chop saw as power tools. The team used what it had to build its robot, the teacher said.

“It was a lot more challenging than the robotics we normally do,” Mendija said. “(With FIRST) there is a lot more fabrication going on, and the programming is complex, especially for a low-resource team like us.”

Robotics, though, is worth the work, he said. The activity helps students learn what they want to do in the future, whether studying engineering or technology. Statistics show robotics students are highly likely to attend college. Also, even if pupils don’t study robotics-related fields, he said, they pick up valuable, transferable skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving, strategy, communication, teamwork, leadership, organization and time management.

The payoff for the students is why Mendija said he hopes the team can secure funding for the trip, which will require about $15,000 to $20,000 for entry fees, flights, lodging, transportation and meals. Registration alone is $5,000.

At first they thought they couldn’t go, he said, but some offers have been coming in and people are “trying to make it happen.”

“They earned it, too,” Mendija said. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. It will be nice to rep our island and Maui County . . . and give these kids an experience.”

For information on fundraising events for Molokai’s Team 7724, contact edwin_mendija@molokai.k12.hi.us; for information on fundraising for Maui High’s Team 2443, visit www.gofundme.com/help-send-team-2443-to-worlds-championship.

* Kehaulani Cerizo can be reached at kcerizo@mauinews.com.


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