MANCHESTER — A rookie robotics team from East Catholic High School overcame a time and experience deficit to take first place at a southern Connecticut competition last month and is raising money to compete in the New England championships.
Aetos Dios, or Eagle of Zeus, is comprised of 12 students, five of whom are foreign exchange students. They had only six weeks between forming the team and their first competition to build a robot that could move and carry out tasks.
“Right now, we’re just doing whatever we can to get to the next competition,” says Heather Regan, an adult mentor for the group.
The registration fees include a building kit for groups, but any add-ons or damages are on the group to address. Currently, mentors have been paying for these out of their own pockets, according to Regan. Their next competition is this weekend in Hartford.
Aetos Dios has qualified to compete in the New England championships which will take place in Boston the weekend of April 11, but it needs all the community support it can get to compete there.
The group has a GoFundMe page set up for donations. As of Tuesday afternoon, it had raises $2,205 or its $7,500 goal. Interested donors can visit:
https://www.gofundme.com/aetosdios7153
Donations may also be sent by checks payable to: ECHS-FRC Robotics Team 7153, 115 New State Road, Manchester CT 06042 Attn: Helen Tully.
Originally published by the Journal Inquirer.
Jackie Nappo 