FIRST robotics competition winners

Thirteen Long Island teams were winners in a regional competition that challenged teens to build robots from a kit of parts to breach opposing defenses on a castle-styled field.

Students from 51 high schools battled last month in the 17th annual Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition at Hofstra University. This year’s theme, “FIRST Stronghold,” asked three-team alliances to score points by shooting boulders through goals in an opponent’s tower and then attempting to scale the tower. FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.”

Three teams — Hurricane Floyd (Team #287) of Mastic Beach; Sachem Aftershock (Team #263) of Lake Ronkonkoma; and TEAM R.I.C.E. (Team #870) of Southold — advanced to the FIRST Robotics Championship in St. Louis on April 27-30.

Other local winners were: The Phi-Kings (Team #4567) of Seaford, Musical Theme Award; CIBorgs (Team #4006) of Central Islip, Imagery Award in honor of Jack Kamen; Hurricane Floyd (Team #287), Rockwell Automation Innovation in Control Award; Hurricanes (Team #3171) of Westhampton Beach, Xerox Creativity Award; The Mechanical Bulls (Team #810) of Smithtown, Delphi Excellence in Engineering Award; Pierson Whalers (Team #28) of Sag Harbor, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Entrepreneurship Award; Hicksville J-Birds (Team #1468) of Hicksville, General Motors Industrial Design Award; Mohawks (Team #329) of Medford, Johnson & Johnson Gracious Professionalism and Regional Finalist #2 awards; Red Dragons (Team #527) of North Massapequa, Chrysler Team Spirit Award; Rebels (Team #2638) of Great Neck, Underwriters Laboratories Industrial Safety Award; TEAM R.I.C.E. (Team #870), Regional Finalist #1 and Regional Engineering Inspiration awards; CyberHawks (Team #2875) of Cold Spring Harbor, Regional Finalist #3 Award.

The event was sponsored by the School-Business Partnerships of Long Island.

RIVERHEAD

Drill victory

Riverhead High School’s National Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps placed first overall last month at the Area Four Regional Drill Meet in Mount Holly, New Jersey. The meet, consisting of seven categories ranging from color guard to armed platoon, included 500 cadets from Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

The school’s top performances included placing first in armed platoon and athletics, second in academics and air rifle, third in color guard, fifth in personnel inspection, and sixth in unarmed platoon.

COUNTYWIDE

Stock Market Game

Teams from Tackan Elementary School in Nesconset, W.S. Mount Elementary School in Stony Brook and West Islip High School were first-place winners regionally in the elementary, middle and high school levels, respectively, of SIFMA Foundation’s Stock Market Game — a 10-week simulation in the world of economics, investing and personal finance.

Teams were given a fictional $100,000 to build an investment portfolio and checked their account holdings weekly to buy, sell or maintain investments.

ISLANDWIDE

Autism awareness

Long Island schools hosted activities in April to raise awareness and funds for autism in recognition of National Autism Awareness Month.

In Lindenhurst, students at West Gates Avenue Elementary School wore blue T-shirts featuring puzzle pieces sold by the high school’s life skills classes for Autism Speaks’ “Light It Up Blue” campaign. Meanwhile, Lindenhurst Middle School’s life skills students made and sold puzzle necklaces at the school store.

In East Hampton, the Springs School’s PTA joined with the Flying Point Foundation for Autism to invite families to donate $1 to the nonprofit to have their child’s or family’s name added to the school’s “Give a Buck for Autism” Wall of Fame.

In Riverhead, Roanoke Avenue Elementary School students made posters reminding people to be kind and to wear blue on World Autism Awareness Day.