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Local Girl Scout robotics team triumphs in Atlanta

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Contributed by: Kimberlie Nitti on 4/29/2008

It's a Cinderella story come true for the Girl Scout high school robotics team called the Rock n' Roll Robots.

The team, comprised of girls from San Fernando Valley, Greater Long Beach and Mt. Wilson Vista Girl Scout Councils, fought their way to the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) World Championship competition in Atlanta last weekend and garnered a second-place finish.

Team members include Samantha Arman and Hilary Arndt from Sun Valley, Salia Wilson from Northridge, Taylor Halsey and Jessie Klemme from Long Beach and Michelle Lo and Katie Wooten from Pasadena.

The Rock n' Roll Robots started strong in their first day of world championship competition, ending eighth out of 50 teams in their division. Judges also awarded them the Motivate Award for exemplifying team spirit and enthusiasm.

At the end of qualification rounds the second day, team Rock n' Roll Robots was chosen by the first place team in their division to be their alliance partner during the elimination round.

The girls' alliance won their division, advancing them and their alliance partners to the finals. After a close final match, the girls and their alliance finished in second place.

"This is a remarkable achievement and an example of that special Girl Scout perseverance, hard work and team spirit," said Gerry Keshka, CEO of Girl Scouts of the San Fernando Valley. "We congratulate them for demonstrating the courage, confidence and character that is at the core of Girl Scouting."

Last fall, the Rock n' Roll Robots finished 45th out of 45 in a local FIRST Tech Challenge competition. Within two weeks, they completely rebuilt their robot, developed a new strategy, and finished fourth in the Los Angeles area FTC Championship.

Inspired to continue, the team worked diligently and took second place in the regional FTC Championship in San Diego.

In February, the team headed to Las Vegas, where they competed and won the Inspire Award, garnering them a coveted ticket to Atlanta.

The robotics program is part of the Girl Scouts' science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programming initiatives, which encourage girls to explore careers in various STEM-related fields.

Robotics team members work together to build and program a robot, research and present a science-related topic, and compete in competitions with other youth.

Through the program, girls develop leadership, gain an understanding of teamwork, learn how to set and achieve goals, take on new and challenging tasks, demonstrate the importance of character and conduct, and develop friendships.

The program was generously funded by Lockheed Martin through its STEM Career Exploration Grant, with support of Girl Scouts of the USA, and the Motorola Foundation.

The participating Girl Scout councils are especially grateful to the support of the team mentors and program partners from Caltech, JPL and the Society of Women Engineers, among others.

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