KAGAWONG—With songs like Queen’s ‘We Are the Champions’ blaring in the background, fellow students, teachers and staff members of Manitoulin Secondary School (MSS) clapped, cheered and high-fived members of the MSS Manitoulin Metal Robotics 6865 team at a hallway victory run last Wednesday morning. The celebration was in recognition of the team having recently been selected as just one of six schools at the Robotics World Championships in Houston, Texas (among 600) chosen for a World Championship FIRST Robotics Impact Finalist Award.
“We are very, very proud of them,” stated MSS vice-principal Dawn Noble McCann. “It’s a really big accomplishment for the team to have won this award and we wanted to recognize them for this. The robotics team has been worked on their robot (Bumblebee) since last September and the team is made up of several components including robot drivers, media, business, the coding group and others. And they all must work together as a team. They learn so many transferable skills in this type of activity.”
“It is a competition, but they learn from and help other teams as well at these events,” said Ms. Noble-McCann. “It’s so good for these students to have this type of opportunity.”
“It is a really big deal, just to have qualified for the Worlds,” Ms. Noble-McCann continued. “Then to win such a prestigious award is incredible.”
Ms. Noble McCann explained that MSS, “often does this type of hallway victory lap for our teams and individuals who do well, for instance, at an Ontario championship. We play loud music on the speaker and teachers bring their students out of their class to cheer off the team after the morning announcements. The kids on the team start at the front foyer holding their banner or trophy that they have won, and they run around the school bottom then the upstairs with their fellow students, teachers and staff cheering, congratulating and howling out accolades. It is our way of acknowledging their efforts.”
Prior to the victory lap MSS robotics team co-captains Jocelyn Kuntsi and Ben Willis got on the school’s speaker system and in a joint statement stated, “we would like to congratulate our robotics team, Team 6865 Manitoulin Metal, who returned from Houston, Texas last night after competing at the FIRST Robotics World Championship. While they weren’t among the finals matches, they hold a greater honour as one of six IMPACT award finalists among over 10,000 other robotics teams. Here are the exact words describing the IMPACT award’s brilliance.”
“The Impact Award is the most prestigious award that FIRST team can win. The team that wins is a model for all other FRC teams to emulate, and best embodies the goals and ideals of FIRST.”
“We would also like to thank the over 300 Manitoulin sponsors, businesses, residents, supporters and students that made it possible for them to compete and all the students that aided either through volunteering, donating batteries and e-waste, and attended our outreach programs for being a part of our Impact on this wonderful community.”
Mr. Willis told The Expositor on the world championship outcome, “it’s still processing in my head. IMPACT is about making positive change in the world. We are benefitting the surface of the planet with our outreach work on sustainability. There are students here who can explain how much they have been affected by the positive changes and impact this has had.”
“We have changed the nature of robotics and education,” said Ms. Kuntsi, “with our current practices and incorporating sustainability that benefits our world.”
“We will let the dust settle first, and we will be hosting an acknowledgment celebration reception evening in the near future, to celebrate the team’s victory and the many donors and supporters who helped make all of this possible,” said Ms. Noble-McCann.
