We are Team 3123! Our name, the Owen J. Robots Wildcogs is a tribute to our Owen J. Roberts High School “Wildcats.” Owen J Roberts is a school district located in northern Chester County, Pennsylvania, about 40 minutes northwest of Philadelphia. 

 

After a couple students and mentors visited the FRC Philadelphia Regional Competition in March 2009, we were hooked. It was just amazing to see so many students, parents, teachers and engineers gathered together and excited about science and technology. We left that competition determined to start a team and worked with our sister team, the Firebirds (FRC Team 433), to understand what it would take.  We recruited students during the summer months and worked to get a high school faculty advisor so we could hit the ground running in the fall.

With the support of mentors from Lockheed Martin, Exelon, Pfizer, and Vanguard, we successfully constructed our first robot.  The highlight of our rookie season was winning the Washington DC Regional Competition (a rare feat for a rookie team), followed closely by competing in the Georgia Dome at the Championships.  How many other high school teams get to play for the world championship in a dome?

 

For our second year, 2011, we have 35 students.  Our middle school renovations are complete, the 7th & 8th graders moved out, and our principal, Dr. Richard Marchini, has given us our very own classroom to build in!  Because this room is only used for Team 3123, we can leave out our work-in-progress, stretch out into different work areas, and fill up the cabinets with spare parts and tools.