The New Albany High School robotics team, also known as the Digital Eagles, is an example of innovative thought – and not just in competitions. The group has exceled in competitions while also bringing in grants and attracting students to STEM.
The robotics club works year-round, kicking off every school year with fundraising and recruiting. It offers club members hands-on STEM learning as well as general skills like teamwork and social skills.
Pranav Chitiveli, a sophomore at New Albany High School and robotics team member, says the team has given him valuable skills he’ll use in life beyond high school.
“We have learned a lot of skills that apply to the 21st century workforce: working as a team, being confident with my work, time and project management, and how to work with different groups of people,” he says.
And teamwork is especially important to the Digital Eagles when the competition season starts each year in January.
The Digital Eagles’ season comes to a head during the FIRST Robotics Competition (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). At an annual kickoff event, the competition organization announces a game design prompt. Teams then have six weeks to build a robot based on that game prompt.
The Digital Eagles’ participation in the competition helped to establish an ongoing relationship with New Albany’s Facebook Data Center. In 2019, the Eagles had exhausted club funds by the time it had qualified for the world championship. When Facebook Data Center employees caught wind of it, they donated enough money through the center to send the Digital Eagles to the world stage.
The following year, the robotics team and NAHS as a whole applied for a Facebook Community Action Grant, which funds projects that use technology to better communities and further STEM education there.
NAHS and the team were awarded the grant, which had a significant impact on the robotics program. Because the club receives no school funds, members must rely on fundraisers, sponsorships and grants, such as the Facebook Community Action Grant, to survive.
Before the grant, the team was using five-year-old equipment for its projects. Thanks to the grant, the Digital Eagles doubled their number of robots and upgraded the ones they already had. The curriculum was able to expand, allowing for four different robotic platforms, or design schemes, to be used instead of only one.
In 2021, the Facebook Community Action Grant again expanded its impact for the district. The grant was awarded to New Albany Middle and High School and the robotics club.
Thanks to continued support from that grant and other supporters, this year, the robotics club will move out of an old annex building and into a new space in the NAHS library. David Effron, the NAHS robotics club coach, is looking forward to the move and the positive impact it will have on the club.
“It’s a building that students are in every day,” Effron says. “We’re hoping to get more exposure. Right now, we’re building what’s kind of at the end of campus, no one goes to the annex. So, no one really knows about the robotics team. But being able to be right on the main campus, every student will see that when they come into school every day.”
The exposure will help the club with one of its primary goals: to bring more attention and students to STEM.
Pranav’s brother Varun, a senior at NAHS and fellow robotics club member, emphasizes the importance of exposing students to STEM.
“One of our main missions is drumming up interest for STEM and getting more people interested,” he says. “We regularly host events to see if people are interested and (host) workshops for the high school on computer design and programming.”
For Varun, the robotics club has bolstered his confidence as well.
“I’ve learned more than just technical skills,” he says. “I’ve learned leadership and public speaking skills. For a while, I found it difficult to talk in front of others, but when talking in robotics competitions I’m excited about what I am working with and I’m more confident. In group projects and presenting in school I’m not nervous like I was six years ago.”
The Chitiveli brothers look forward to competing in person this year and all the season will have to offer.
“I believe I can speak for both of us when I say we are really excited about this season and working together on a large team,” says Pranav.
Juliana Colant is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
