Robotics

Welcome to Team 2523 – Tech Storm!

The St. Johnsbury Academy Robotics Team is made up of SJA high school students who are Vermont’s future roboticists, engineers, programmers, manufacturers, machinists, builders, and makers! The Team meets year-round and competes in FIRST Robotics Competitions (FRC). FIRST is a global robotics organization, engaging K-12 students in project-based, hands-on engineering challenges. The FRC level is the highest level of competition and combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. As the students say, “it’s the hardest fun you’ll ever have.”

The skills the students learn and use to meet the competition challenge include using the engineering and design process, 3D modeling using CAD software, fabricating components, rapid prototyping, machining and mechanical assembly skills, programming robot drive base and component movement, sensor use for automation, driving practice, working collaboratively and supportively as a team through frustratingly hard failures, hard won victories, and differences of opinions. The team also learns organization, collaboration, project management, planning, budgeting, marketing and most importantly, the mentoring of other team members in the skills they all need to succeed. This team is student led and student driven.

FIRST Robotics Competition

Each competition season starts in January, when FIRST releases the challenge. Competitions begin in late February and run through the end of March. From January through March, the team meets to design, fabricate and program a robot which will play a difficult field game in alliance with other teams. The robots must be capable of completing multiple tasks including driving in both autonomous and driver control modes, using sensors for control, developing game specific tools and scoring points for their alliance.

2024 FRC Challenge: CRESCENDO, presented by Hass

This years’ challenge in a nutshell: build a robot capable of loading and launching 14” foam rings into different targets to earn points. Earn extra points by being able to suspend your robot (which can weigh up to 125 lbs!) by a chain at the end of the game, and also by having a human player toss a ring nearly 20 feet onto a pole 7 feet in the air!

Be a part of Tech Storm’s success!

Students: Join the team! No Experience Required! Come to a meeting to see what it’s all about. Reach out to Mr. Hubacz or peek in the windows of Streeter 230. Meetings are once a week from September through December, then 4 days a week and some evening meetings and weekend days during competition season, January through March. Two travel weekends in March for competition.

Parents: Help the team! No Experience Required! Be a mentor, connect the team to sponsors, contribute toward food for late meetings, come cheer the team on at the competition!

Sponsors: Would you be interested in providing financial support, in-kind fabrication service or materials, or team mentoring to help support Tech Storm, team 2523?

For more information, please contact:

Lead Coach, Daniel Hubacz

Team Mentor, Lynette Farnham

Team Coach, Jennifer Barlow

Team Mentor, Matt Snodgrass

Upcoming Events

March 28-30: New England District UNH Event in Durham, New Hampshire

Past Events

March 15-17: Pine Tree District FIRST Robotics Competition Qualifying Event, Lewiston, Maine

Members of the Robotics team visited MVP Robotics in Bradford. The team met one of their First Robotics team’s sponsors, established mentoring relationships, got advice about their robot and the prototype cycle, and saw their robots in action. Students even got a chance to drive one of MVP’s robots in the parking lot to learn about acceleration and maneuvering algorithms. Fun fact: the robotic dummies used at last Thursday’s NFL Pro Bowl Precision Passing Event were MVP Robotics’ products.