In 2011, within the halls of Sammy McClure Middle School, North Paulding’s very own Underwater Robotics Team was formed. With the help of middle school coaches Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Fritsche, as well as high school coaches Mr. Gardener, Mr. Lees, Mr. Loomis and community coach Mr. Lewis, the team has expanded to include 85 students.
This program encourages team members to learn mechanical and engineering skills as they design and build the underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle. This challenge fosters well rounded life skills such as teamwork, communication, and leadership – all attributes that will one day help them excel in the workforce.
North Paulding High School Underwater Robots Team has won the regional competition the last 3 years and have moved to the International Competition for 2017, 2018, and 2019. This International Competition has allowed them to compete against 70 teams from 19 countries.
This year, 3 teams are advancing to the MATE World Championship this August in Johnson City, Tennessee. These teams include 404 Engineering, 4 KSU students, formerly NP Robotics students; North Paulding Varsity Robotics Team, 10th-12th graders who placed first in regionals; and North Paulding JV Robotics, 8th-12th graders who placed second in regionals.
In addition to their mission tasks, North Paulding won in all competition categories including Engineering, Marketing, Safety, and Technical Documentation. Their teams compete at the Grays Reef MATE Regional Competition each year in May. For the past 4 years, NPHS’s teams have received first place in Scout, Navigator, and Ranger.
This year, the competition allows students to build underwater remote controlled robots that complete challenges that are linked to real world problems. The students are analyzing how raising temperatures from climate change is affecting the health of coral reefs, thus tackling the plastic clean up issue that’s clogging our rivers, lakes, waterways and oceans, all the way to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
Join Town Square as we cheer on our North Paulding High School students August 5th-7th at the MATE World Championship!
