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Teams moved ahead by points until the final two faced off.
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SMS Coding Crusaders of St. Mary's School celebrate their win at the annual Berkshire Robotics Challenge.
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Twenty-seven teams participated in this year's challenge.

St. Mary's Team Takes 24th Annual Berkshire Robotics Challenge

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
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Trophies for this year's Robotic Challenge.

DALTON, Mass. — The 24th annual Berkshire Robotics Challenge, hosted and sponsored by the Berkshire Innovation Center, was held Saturday, March 15, at Wahconah Regional High School.  

"This is such a great after school activity for them to get involved in. So they can learn all about science and technology and math, but also have that, you know, learn to collaborate with teammates and work with friends and problem solve as a team, said said Berkshire Innovation Center executive director, Ben Sosne.

"So all those great skills that you learn team activities, plus the science and technology stuff that you learn here."

This year's challenge, "Submerged," featured a field of 27 teams with more than 200 students from all over Berkshire County, using programmable robots to complete a variety of missions. The Submerged theme shines a spotlight on the ocean, which is home to some of the planet's most complex ecosystems and encourages students to explore the layers of the ocean and bring what they learn to the surface.

The teams competed in three rounds with the top eight point-scorers advancing to the Great Eight Playoff. After the great eight, two teams were left, the Lee RoboWildcats and the SMS Coding Crusaders of St. Mary's School in Lee.

They faced off in the finals with the SMS Coding Crusaders hitting first place with a total of 235 points.

Some of the teammates expressed how happy they were with their hard work.

"My year has been really good with this, I've had some struggles but as I went along I found out how to pick them up with some friends.” said eighth-grader Jasmine Filek. 

"It's my last year at St. Mary's right now and I was sincerely hoping that we would get into the great eight but to finish on top and it's my last year too it's just amazing because I get to go out with something I can be proud of," said eighth-grader Sophia Springstead.

We just had a group of kids that were ready to work and support each other and did what was best for the team,” said coach Christine Barry.

The awards ceremony followed the competition:

Best Research Project: Ro-BART-ics

Against All Odds Awards: WES Purple Owls

Comeback Kids: Engenuity 2B (Lenox)

Rookie Team of the Year: Roboty McRobotFace

Best Programming: Lee RoboWildcats

Most Innovative Design: Richmond Robotics

Team Spirit: Crosby Crew

Sportsmanship Award: Pine Cobble PSC Pringles

First Runner Up: Lee RoboWildcats

Challenge Champion: SMS Code Crusaders

 

Tags: robotics,   

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Mill Town Foundation and Pittsfield Public Schools Announce Core Impact Awards

PITTSFIELD, Mass — Mill Town Foundation, in partnership with Pittsfield Public Schools and with support from the Feigenbaum Foundation, has announced the inaugural Core Impact Awards.
 
The Core Impact Awards will recognize educators and school staff members in the Pittsfield Public School District who have demonstrated a significant impact on student learning, innovation in education, and community engagement.
 
The awards will honor one full-time teacher or staff member from each of the 14 schools in the Pittsfield Public School District.
 
The nomination period will close March 21, 2025. Nominations can be submitted by community members, students, parents, and colleagues using a nomination form.
 
An independent Selection Committee of community members will review the nominations. Nominees will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
  • Student Impact: Evidence of inspiring or improving student outcomes.
  • Innovation in Teaching: Creative teaching approaches and technology integration.
  • Community Contributions: Engagement with the school and broader community.
  • Nomination Quality: Thoughtfulness and depth of the nomination.
The Core Impact Award recipients will be announced in April 2025 and honored at an award ceremony in late May. Honorees will receive a recognition package.
 
More information on the Core Impact Awards, including how to submit a nomination, can be found at www.milltownfoundation.org.
 
 
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