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Robotics Team Helps Raise Canarsie High School's Image
Canarsie's team, which likes to be called Can-Dew, not only mentors students from John Dewey High School, but also sets a scene where students are able to join and express themselves about engineering, computers and, obviously, robots. Each year, the team participates in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) annual competition. Can-Dew's mission is to encourage diversity, teamwork, and cooperation. Surprisingly, there are no requirements to join the robotics team. Thea Platt-Glasser, the teacher who has been the team's advisor for six years, explained that a student "does not have to be mechanically inclined" to become a member, but he/she must have a willingness to devote sufficient time to it. Platt-Glasser described the atmosphere at meetings as "hectic, but all the students work together." The students also get involved in fundraising for the team. They make and sell buttons, food, t-shirts and participate in rodeos to raise funds to travel to competitions. They are also involved in Web site programming and planning, but more impressively, they build their own robots every year. When building the robot, 95 percent of the work is done by the students, including planning and labor, with five percent done by an expert engineer, who only offers guidelines on what they should do. The robot is then entered in the FIRST's yearly Robot Competition where students from all over the United States vie for the best entry. The theme for the competition last March was "Aim High," so the Canarsie student's robot shot balls high into a net. The Can-Dew robot, which took about six weeks to become operable, placed a very respectable third out of dozens of entries. Being a part of the Robotics Team also requires responsibilities such as excellent attendance and good grades. In addition, students earn scholarships just for being on the team. Pratt-Glasser said, "Can-Dew stimulates the students' brains and helps to develop good critical thinking skills." The members understand the positive aspects. The team's secretary, Devikha Ramudit, stated, "Can-Dew is fundamental because it helps us develop good communication skills, to learn things we will need outside of school and reach limits we never thought possible." The robotics team has been a key factor in elevating Canarsie High School's prestige. Platt-Glasser explained that some students choose to attend the school because of this rewarding and exciting program. The motto of the robotics team is "Laying the tracks for the future together," which directly relates to its main objective. Students on the team develop responsibility and diligence and it is almost certain those learned characteristics would help them succeed later in life.
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