Continuing their winning tradition, John Bapst’s “Flat Earth Society”, this year an all-female robotics team comprised of Samantha Ismail ‘23, Shannon Murphy ‘23, and Julianna Clark ‘24, competed successfully at a February competition in Monmouth, Maine. It spoke of bigger things to come.
Only the fifth competition this season in Maine, the Flat Earth Society earned the top two awards. By utilizing Samantha’s programming skills, paired with Shannon’s driving and building skills, backed up by Juliana’s documentation and strategies, the team dominated the field and came out on top, winning the Tournament Champion prize and the top judged award (The Excellence Award) for the third time this season. The only tournaments where they have not achieved this level of success was the first, which they did not attend, in York, and their second, where they arrived with an untested rebuilt robot that was not quite ready for prime-time. It’s a very impressive record.
And the accolades continue.
Recently, the Flat Earth Society learned of their invitation to the VEX Robotics World Championship in May, a competition held this year in Dallas, Texas.
When asked what made robotics special to them, Samantha, Shannon, and Julianna were eager to share.
Samanatha: “When I first started robotics, it was out of my comfort zone and very nerve-wracking. As time has passed, it has become one of my biggest passions and I hope to pursue a career related to this field. It has provided me with an amazing opportunity to explore multiple STEM-related interests in an environment that encourages meeting new people from all over and learning alongside them. Our team’s success this year stemmed from our ability to work together. We all have unique interests and talents that we were able to blend together to produce an excellent team!”
Shannon Murphy: “For as long as I can remember, mechanics have been intriguing to me, which is why I have been so passionate about the Vex Robotics program. It has provided me with an opportunity to do what I love (building) on a competitive level. Our team has been incredibly successful this year because of our dedication and love for what we do.”
Julianna Clark: “For me, I am newer to robotics, coding, engineering, etc. In my freshman year I gave it a try and it became my new passion. It has changed a lot for me and through John Bapst’s technology classes I have found my career path and something I truly enjoy. I think our team has been successful this year because we all get along very well and communication is one of our top priorities. Another thing that makes us successful is our work ethic. None of us are lazy and we get the job done and done properly.”
The John Bapst community is proud of our entire robotics team, and the dedication and hard work displayed by the students and their instructors, Mr. Mike Murphy, Engineering and Technology Department Chair and Director of Technology and Mr. Mike Dudley, a member of the Science faculty.