The Earthquakers, Friends’ Central’s Upper School robotics team, won the FIRST® Robotics Competition Philadelphia District Event in early April! They also broke the Mid-Atlantic high score and won an award for excellence in engineering. The team is currently ranked sixth in the Mid-Atlantic district. Based on the district points that they have already earned, the Earthquakers are set to move through to the upcoming district championship and will very likely qualify for the World Championship in Houston later this spring. 

 

Senior Earthquakers team member Julia Bascomb shared, “I have been on the team since its establishment in 2022, so I have seen us at all stages. Since my freshman year, we have grown immensely, not only in size but also in our skills and knowledge. This year, especially at the Philadelphia competition, felt like a culmination of everything we have worked for. Our team has never won an entire competition – or, as we say, 'gotten a blue banner.' When we won our last match, with the district high score at the time, I screamed and jumped. All the work I put in, and all the work the team put in, paid off. It felt incredible, and I'm beyond proud of our team.”

 

“Having been with the team since our first year in 2022,” said team member Charlie Hurst ’26, “I can certainly say that our success this year isn’t a reflection of something new. Every season we've all worked incredibly hard, and right now just happens to be one of those wonderful moments when our effort and luck have aligned to give us some very exciting results. Here's hoping we can keep it up!” 

 

Congratulations to the team; their faculty advisor and lead mentor, Matthew Schoifet; and their volunteer mentors, Akash Shah, Mike Dillon, and Ben Ng. We wish them all the very best at the upcoming district championship and beyond!