A robotics team from a Manhattan public school will soon be making their way to the worldwide championships, displaying the machine they designed themselves in competition with hundreds of teams from schools across the globe.
The tech aficionados from West End Secondary School (WESS), who formed their team less than a year ago, won’t be going in alone either, as they’ll have assistance from the $6,000 grant they won from NASA.
WESS was chosen to be a recipient of NASA’s Robotics Alliance Project, which funds robotics clubs that are just starting out. The school’s robotics team was the only New York City applicant that was selected.
Equipped with this grant and their skills, this Upper West Side robotics team will compete in the very first Robotics Championship held in Houston, which will be held from April 17 through April 20.
The WESS crew will be up against some of the most advanced STEM-specialized high schools globally, including Manhattan’s very own Stuyvesant High School.
Both of these teams earned their spot to the finals at the recent New York City regionals, where the WESS team’s disc-throwing robot was one of just five out of fifty-two creations chosen to head for the championships, in addition to being selected out of all the newcomers for the Rookie All-Star Award.
The award signals a significant boost for the team, which was only formed in September 2023 by ninth graders Sonia Benowitz, Talia Birnbaum, Alexander Cawdron, and Annabelle Malschin.
“I’m a little nervous, but I’m mostly excited,” co-founder Benowitz, 14, said.
On top the of the NASA grant, the team was also gifted with a $2,500 cash injection from the Gene Hass Foundation, has sponsorships from Bloomberg, and a WESS parent, according to Benowitz’s mom, Samantha Alvarez Benowitz.
The team has even inspired WESS to implement a robotics elective class for students as a result of the success.
According to Benowitz, their disc-throwing robot that got them to the championships was the product of nine hours of work per week over a period of about three months.
The team’s cost estimate for the international championships is around $40,000, of which the grants have defrayed a part. Though the club is still raising money to cover the cost by hosting bake sales and other fundraising events, said Alvarez Benowitz.
New Yorkers can help this team get to the finals by donating to the WESS Parents Association.
