First trip to state brings robotics rewards for GHS team

Grafton High School took sixth place in state on Saturday, March 14 — but this wasn’t an athletic competition.

The Random Engineers participated in the First Tech Challenge State Championship at Beloit College, a competition that drew 32 of the state’s top robotics teams.

This was the team’s first trip to state, and although they didn’t win the championship and missed the cutoff for the world competition, Random Engineers is ranked among the top 3.2% of all those competing in First Tech Challenges, team member Shaunak Chaudhuri wrote.

The team had a 4-1 record in its qualifying matches, but was eliminated in the semifinals.

“Though we were in a brand new setting, the Random Engineers performed phenomenally,” Chaudhuri wrote.

And, team member Matt Eippert told the School Board Monday, the group will compete at the Chicago Invitational in July.

During the state meet, the team also was awarded its third Connect Award for outreach to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) experts and the business community.

In a statement, the team said the highlight of its season was working with Matrix, a Grafton manufacturer, to build a new robot, meeting with company workers during lunch to show off their old robot.

They also met with company engineers to discuss computer-aided designs and metal parts for the robot, which they expect to be fully operational for the July competition and the Chicago Packing Expo in October.

The team began its season in summer, and through the year it reached more than 1,500 people.

It hosted a number of community events, including a Can-tastic food drive at the Grafton Robotics Expo, had a showcase at the Ozaukee County Fair, assisted with the middle school robotics team and sorted Lego sets for Family Sharing to sell at its resale store.

The group also raised more than $14,000 for its endeavors.

The group’s sponsors include Blanking Systems, PMMI, the Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary Club, Rockwell Automations, Matrix, Thrivent, GE Healthcare, Wilo and the Grafton School District.

The team members include Shaunak Chaudhuri, Libby Coleman, Emma Eippert, Matt Eippert, Jakob Nestler, Jocelynne O’Connor, Sam Pekarske, Will Riley, Irene Schumaker and Chase Tendrup.