It has been a remarkable season for Pioneer Robotics, Catalina Foothills High School's FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team, which capped its year by earning the Connect Award at the Arizona State Championship.
The Connect Award is given to the team that most effectively connects with its local STEM community, learning and adopting new tools through effort and persistence. It recognizes a team with a clear plan and identified steps to achieve its goals. For the Pioneers, that connection runs deep, and it starts in the elementary schools.
Print Ready!
One of the signature ways Pioneer Robotics connects with the broader CFSD community is through Print Ready!, a curriculum the team developed to train elementary school teachers in 3D printing and computer-aided design (CAD). The program provides complete instructional materials, including a Google Classroom framework, screencasts, and cost-efficient projects designed for elementary classrooms. Led in large part by team captain Christian Pierson, who brings real-world experience from a dental device-printing internship, the team created Print Ready! so teachers would have everything they need to bring 3D printing into their classrooms. Teachers were trained this year, with implementation planned for spring.
Print Ready! is a powerful example of high school students giving back to CFSD, and it was a key factor in the team's Connect Award recognition.
An Outstanding Coach
Pioneer coach Charlotte Ackerman was also recognized at the state championship (pictured above at the 2020 state championship), earning second place for the Compass Award out of more than 50 eligible coaches statewide. The Compass Award honors an outstanding mentor who inspires students and strengthens the FIRST community. Ackerman's students over the years say it best. Watch the nomination video created by team members led by Owen Cantor-Goldner (above).
Sustain Award at Copper Tournament
The Pioneers' state championship run was preceded by a strong performance at the Copper Tournament qualifier in Queen Creek, where the team earned the Sustain Award — a brand-new award category for FTC this season. The Sustain Award celebrates teams that have planned thoughtfully for their program's long-term success, from financial sustainability to leadership development and season planning. It recognizes teams that are building something designed to last well beyond any single group of students.
For the Pioneers, that sustainability is supported in part by community tax credit contributions, which help ensure the program remains strong and accessible year after year.
The team also had an outstanding showing on the competition field at the Copper Tournament. Their robot's performance earned them the role of alliance captains during the playoff rounds, where they won five consecutive matches to advance to the semifinal round. Their tournament run ended in a hard-fought semifinal decided by just a single point.
The Team
Congratulations to the Pioneer Robotics team: Sunita Adhikari, Isabella Barajas, Sophia Barrios, Owen Cantor-Goldner, Aidan Chang, Braeden Gracy, Ethan Lin, Kyle Lo, Ali Lucas, Isaak Martin, Archer Matika, Valerie McLamarrah, Quin Mekkelsen, Sarah Orr, Milo Peters, Christian Pierson, and Nathan Wu.
Coach: Charlotte Ackerman