In 2011, Engineering teacher Mr. Albrecht and Physics teacher Mr. Scinta created the Robotics Team here at Ossining High School. It was an extension of the preexisting Engineering Club and was made after student expressed interest in the field of robotics. They had a goal of providing curious students with a hands-on experience by combining their passions and interests to create a competitive robot. A team established merely for the enjoyment of a few engineering enthusiasts, no one knew what to expect, and they certainly didn’t know that OHS Robotics would become the tremendous success it is virtually overnight.

Starting with a mere five students, Engineering has grown to over 50 members since its genesis of the robotics team. The club positively reflects on the diversity of the student body with students from all grades, genders, ethnicities and walks of life taking part. Their common passion for engineering has brought them together and created strong a sense of camaraderie that can be observed even from an outsider’s perspective.

The competition Ossining competes in, known as FIRST Robotics, is an international competition in which high school students have the opportunity to build robots that will go head to head in events that change each season. Each season begins in early January with the announcement of the new game and an illustration that shows the game basics. Teams receive a Kit of Parts, software and a manual, and are expected to design a robot that is capable of performing the necessary tasks in only six weeks. Such tasks have included scoring balls into goals, hanging on bars and most recently stacking bins. Competition starts two weeks after the end of build season and continues for seven weeks after. Teams participate in district and regional tournaments to qualify for the championship which is held in April.

Even before the build season begins, students are hard at work in preparation for the road ahead. In collaboration with IBM and expert volunteers like Dr. Ocheltree, team members can attend preseason training to learn various essentials to building a robot such as C++ programming language. Once January comes, Team 4122 is well prepared and more than ready to go forth to design and build their robot. From as early as the brainstorming period, the design and assembly process of the robot is entirely student driven. During the first week of build season, students create sketches and prototypes and receive feedback on them from IBM engineers. After intense discussions and tweaking, a design is chosen by general consensus. For the next five weeks, students work for hours on end five to six days a week to turn their idea into a fully functioning machine. While outside resources are made accessible to the team during the entire process, the students enjoy their independence as they get to do a lot of creative and independent thinking, problem solving and experimentation. At the conclusion of the six weeks, the TLC and hard work put into the project is shown with the completion of the robot.

Though still a fairly new team, the O-Bots have proved they are a force to be reckoned with. In their rookie season, the team secured a position in the world championship as well as winning awards for Rookie All-Star, Rookie Inspiration and Rookie Highest Seed. They returned to the championship round in 2013 while also receiving the Engineering Inspiration Award. In 2014, the O-Bots added to their impressive repertoire by receiving the Dean’s List Finalist Award. Most recently, they competed in a FIRST Regional competition at the Javits Center where they placed 15th out of 66 teams and a competition at Hofstra University in which they placed 20th and 3rd in their alliance during semifinals.

Towards the end of this year’s build season, I spent an afternoon with the Engineering Club as they wrapped up the assembly of their robot. An exciting energy could be felt throughout the room as the team members rushed to add the finishing touches of their mechanical creation. Students could be seen coding, wiring and hooking up electrical panels and working on the drivetrain of the robot. I even was given a chance to work on the robot, which needless to say was an adventure for a writer like myself. The amount of effort and dedication that these students had been putting in and the unbridled enthusiasm they exuded was inspiring. I talked for a while to Mr. Albrecht, who co-advises the club, and it was clear the fervor that I experienced with the students also existed within their mentors. The program has not only educated and engaged the students, but it has served as an outlet for the teachers to do something they love and spread their knowledge while doing so. It was incredible to observe and take part in, even if it was only for an afternoon.

The Engineering Club has served as a terrific educational avenue for many inquisitive and dedicated students. The organization has had tremendous impact on the school community and beyond through their competitive achievements and STEM advocacy. Undoubtedly, this club will be inspiring our future engineers as they continue on their successful path for years to come.