Oswego’s robotics teams showcase talent and innovation at Batavia Sectionals

Two Oswego Community Unit School District 308 junior high robotics teams celebrated recent successes at the Batavia Sectional Tournament.

The Plank Octobots of Plank Junior High School finished in first place on the robot game table with a score of 405 points. The group won the Robot Performance Award and the Robot Design Award.

From Bednarcik Junior High School, Domo Arigato received high scores on the innovation project at the sectional tournament.

The Plank Octobots and Domo Arigato advanced to the Batavia Sectional Tournament with their performances at the First Lego League Robotics Batavia Qualifying Tournament in December.

These teams were joined by four others from SD 308: Bricks of Power (Bednarcik Junior High School), Waterlogged Gearheads (Murphy Junior High School), Otterbots (Traughber Junior High School) and Sea Pickle Bots (Thompson Junior High School).

From September until their qualifying tournament in December, the students on these teams spent up to eight hours a week preparing for the competition.

They built and programmed a robot, researched a real-life problem related to ocean exploration and designed a solution to that problem, according to a news release from the school district.

At the First Lego League Robotics Batavia Qualifying Tournament, the Plank Octobots performed well on the game table, finishing in fifth place with 235 points.

Here, the team won the Robot Design Award and qualified for the sectional tournament.

Domo Arigato finished in 11th place on the robot game table with their robot, which featured advanced attachments, sophisticated programming and consistent performance. The team won the Core Values Award.

The team was also honored to be chosen to share their innovation project in front of all the teams competing in the tournament, according to the release.

Bricks of Power from Bednarcik Junior High presented a simple yet effective robot and an innovation project focused on ocean plastic pollution.

Waterlogged Gearheads showcased a solid robot design with intricate attachments, finishing 12th in the game.

Otterbots created a robot with complex attachments and an innovative coral reef restoration solution, impressing judges with their presentations and teamwork.

Sea Pickle Bots, a rookie team, consistently completed missions and placed in the top half, gaining valuable experience throughout the season.