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Show A-6 Wed/Thurs/Fri, March 20-22, 2019 The Park Record Three teams steer to worlds Students turn up the heat on S They plan to work climate change legislation r together to make C one robot design PCHS teens in attendance hope to inspire their peers CAROLYN WEBBER ALDER The Park Record The Robominers, a robotics team from Park City High School, approached their final qualifier for the world championships a little disheartened. With a rough season behind them, they decided as a team to stop worrying about qualifying and instead try to enjoy what they believed would be their last competition together. After what turned out to be an exceptional competition, they applauded another team from Park City that won the tournament and qualified for the First Tech Challenge World Championship. Then, the announcer named the Robominers as the winner of the Inspire Award, which also qualified them for the world championships. The team members burst into tears as they realized they were one of three robotics teams from Park City High School that would be attending the world championships this year. It will be Robominers’ third year in a row competing in the world championships, and the first time for the two other Park City teams, named Inconceivable and Checkmate. Laura Monty, coach of the robotics teams at the school, said it is remarkable that three teams from one school will be attending worlds. There were only six open slots to qualify for worlds among Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. Only one other team from Utah qualified for the major competition. The First Tech Challenge World Championship is set to take place in Houston from April 17-20. Valentin Astie, captain of the Robominers team, said he is proud of his teammates for the long hours they spent perfecting their robot throughout the season. The team had to overcome several obstacles — from CAROLYN WEBBER ALDER The Park Record COURTESY OF LAURA MONTY Team members from Park City High School’s robotics teams Checkmate, Inconceivable and Robominers show off their robots after a competition earlier in the season. The three teams qualified for the First Tech Challenge World Championship. challenging team dynamics to a robot that broke two times. “After all the issues and working from right after school until like 6:30 every day, it was super satisfying to finally make it,” he said. “We weren’t expecting it, but it happened.” Robotics teams can qualify for worlds either by beating all the other robots at a qualifying tournament or by winning the Inspire Award. The award is given to a robotics team that has a high-performing robot and is working to grow robotics in their community. Both Robominers and Checkmate qualified for worlds by receiving the Inspire Award. The three teams are excited to attend the competition, especially because they are going with a different game plan this year. The teams are putting their heads together to design a new robot by combining the best qualities from their existing robots, then make three copies of the same robot. They plan to design, assemble, code and practice driving the robots together, all in less than a month. “We decided to collaborate for our last year because it’s pretty unique and it’s an opportunity we won’t get to have again,” Astie said. Alex Prucka, captain of the team Inconceivable, said the individual teams are small, so it is helpful to combine into one larger team. There are five students on Checkmate, two students on Inconceivable and six students on Robominers. “We are learning off of a lot of other people’s designs and taking into account what other people have already done that’s successful so far, so hopefully we can have a really competitive robot,” Prucka said. Maxwell Pilzer, captain of Checkmate, said it will be a good experience to go as three separate teams that are unified and cheering each other on. The teams hope to do the best they can at worlds, but are most excited to meet teams from around the globe and learn from them. Monty, who brought the Robominers to the competition the last two years, said the championship is an eye-opening experience for the teams to learn about the unique challenges teams face in different countries. Before leaving for the world championships, the Park City Robotics Club plans to host a community event on April 1. The event is set to take place at the Kimball Junction Branch of Summit County Library from 4 to 8 p.m. The public is welcome to speak with the students about robotics and watch robot demos. On Friday, a couple hundred students from Utah schools walked out of class and gathered on the steps of the Utah State Capitol. They held signs and chanted, demanding that lawmakers take action to stop the effects of climate change soon. Among the hundreds of students were about 20 teens from Continued from A-5 Session ends retention. The rest will be used for other school needs. H.B. 373, from Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, provides more funding for counselors, psychologists and social workers. The funds are available on a grant basis, Hauber said. The district intends to apply for funding to pay for its mental health services already in place. Hauber said the bill is beneficial to Utah schools, especially because the language was changed to include districts that already added personnel for mental health. The bill originally excluded districts with sufficient mental health services in place. “We said, ‘Wait, you shouldn’t harm those who already have taken measures and made it a priority to have mental health services at the Park City High School who added their voices to the cry for climate change solutions. The event was part of a national protest organized by teens to call for policies that reduce emissions and waste. Park City students who attended said they hope to inspire change within their own school and community. Naomi Smith, a sophomore at Park City High School, attended the rally because she wants to see politicians commit to change that will make a big, positive impact on the environment. “I feel like, as youth, we (need to) stand up for our beliefs and show the politicians and people in higher power that we have power as well to share our opinions,” she said. She, like most of the youth who attended, heard about the national protests taking placew through social media. Carly Herr, a senior at Park Citye High School, said it was in-i spiring and surprising to see son many of her peers from Parks City at the protest. a “It was really awesome toc feel so included because ite can feel kind of like an uphills battle with some of the kids ins Park City,” she said. “To bec around all of those students who had very, very similar beliefs was really invigorating and stimulating and made me schools,’” he said. Another bill addressed counselors at schools by stating that counselor services should differentiate between academic counseling and mental health services. Counselors frequently advise students about preparing for college and selecting classes, but also help with mental health issues, Hauber said. H.B. 81, which passed, calls for the duties to be separate. The Utah State Board of Education is tasked with dividing the duties into distinct categories. The Legislature also passed H.B. 250, which requires schools in the state to eliminate fees for textbooks and defined what is considered a school fee. Hauber said Park City eliminated fees for textbooks last year when it decided to remove all school fees, but the changes to the definition of a school fee will impact the district. Under the bill, a school fee includes anything that students have to purchase in order to participate in a class, including calculators or books. Hauber said the district is currently evaluating courses to see if there are any required materials for students. “This law passing will now require us to really be diligent and make sure we’ve covered all those bases,” he said. The bill also requires school boards to hold two public hearings on school fees before adopting them. Conversations about school fees and student equity picked up last year after two audits found many Utah schools were charging large fees to participate in classes and extracurricular activities. The Park City Board of Education voted last year to eliminate most school fees. There were some bills aimed at improving safety and security in Utah schools that either failed or passed with significant changes. H.B. 120 originally provided funding for capital improvements at schools and for the formation of threat assessment teams at schools, but both propositions were left out of the final bill that passed. Ultimately, the bill created a committee at the state level that will advise districts about best practices for safety procedures. A bill that restricted people from carrying a dangerous weapon within 500 feet of schools failed. It was proposed as a safety measure. 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