Northampton High School’s robotics team, the ShoreBots (team 1908), capped off its most successful season in program history with an appearance at the FIRST World Championship in Houston, Texas.
Competing in the Johnson Division, the ShoreBots finished their world-stage run with a commendable record.
Team 1908 placed in the top 8% of robotics teams worldwide and the top 9% nationally, making the ShoreBots one of only 10 teams from Virginia to qualify for the world championship this year.
The appearance follows a season of significant program milestones, including the team’s first regional event victory as the top pick of alliance 1, serving as an alliance captain at the district championships, and debuting the program’s first fully student-CAD-designed robot.
The ShoreBots also excelled in judged honors, earning the Quality Award for robust robot fabrication and the Engineering Inspiration Award for advancing the appreciation of engineering within the local community.
The team’s historic success is the result of over 1,200 hours of student design, fabrication, and programming completed since January.
Highlighting the program’s academic excellence, four graduating seniors from the team have committed to pursue engineering degrees this fall at the University of Virginia, Rochester Institute of Technology, the University of Michigan, and Old Dominion University.
As a small team from a rural community, the ShoreBots demonstrated that dedication and technical skill can successfully compete alongside the largest high school programs in the country.
“Northampton County Public Schools is proud of what these students have achieved,” said Lisa Martin, superintendent of Northampton County Public Schools. “The ShoreBots represented us with academic and engineering excellence, and their success reflects both their hard work and the support of our community.”
ShoreBots recap world championship season
