NHS ShoreBots celebrate historic Robotics season

Pictured:Left to Right, Back row: Coach Stephanie Zodun, Brycen Joseph, Bear McCormick, Co-Captain Grayson Brown, Reid Travis, Coach Mike Zodun, Mentor Kate Lantham. Left to Right, Front row: Co-Captain Abigail Zodun, Temperance Stamer

Northampton High School’s robotics team, The ShoreBots, Team 1908, capped off the most successful season in program history this year 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. The performance placed Team 1908 in the top 8 percent of robotics teams worldwide and the top 9 percent nationally, making them one of only 10 teams from Virginia to qualify for the World Championship this year.

The appearance followed a season of significant program milestones, including the team’s first regional event victory as the top pick of Alliance 1, service as an Alliance Captain at the District Championship, and the debut of 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 was the result of more than 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 on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, the ShoreBots demonstrated that dedication and technical skill can compete successfully alongside some of the largest high school programs in the country.

“NCPS is proud of what these students have achieved,” said Dr. 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.”