State Fire Marshal and Sen. Bruce Tarr to present commendation to Robotics students and mentors for their involvement in extinguishing a fire on school grounds in January. 

Superintendent Justin Bartholomew, Principal Brenda Erhardt and FIRST Robotics @ Pentucket (FR@P) Coach Mo Elhelw share that Pentucket Regional Middle High School will be hosting a Robot Reveal Gala, highlighting the robotics program and the accomplishments of students on the FRC9443 Aluminum Panther team.

WHEN:

Monday, Feb. 24 from 6-8 p.m.

WHERE:

Pentucket Regional Middle High School, 24 Main St., West Newbury. The robotics shop is located adjacent to the auditorium.

WHAT:

Students on FR@P’s FRC9443 Aluminum Panthers team will be hosting a Robot Reveal Gala, where they will reveal their competition robot for the 2025 season,  Calcium.

Since January, students have been working to build, program and design Calcium. Calcium has an elevator mechanic system that can grab PVC pipes and store them in four unique locations that can stretch up to seven feet high. The robot can also grab large objects such as dodgeballs off of the floor and can climb on a vertical chain.

Students and faculty will demonstrate the robot’s capabilities and speak to guests about their experiences building Calcium.

Additionally, the event will allow visitors to tour the newly outfitted robotics shop.

In late January, the robotics shop was affected by an accidental fire that originated at the rear of the auditorium. Members of the Robotics team were in the shop working on a project at the time of the incident, and the quick work of students and faculty members to control the flames likely prevented extensive damage to the school.

State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine and Sen. Bruce Tarr will present the robotics students and mentors with a commendation, recognizing their brave work to extinguish the flames.

The fire meant that the students’ timeline for building Calcium had to be altered, as students had limited access to the shop.

The team worked diligently to overcome this setback. Less than one month after the fire, students can share Calcium and their love of robotics with the community.