As the new school year comes under way, it marks the start of new beginnings in all aspects of a student’s life, whether it is a new class schedule, a new sports season, or a new set of clubs and activities. Many high school students are choosing to incorporate the Robotics team into their busy schedules this school year.
The Hingham High School Robotics Team competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition, also known as FRC. It is a global competition for high school students to innovate and collaborate on programming and building projects. Every year, the FRC organization creates a new game, and high school groups across the world each create their own robot that are able to perform the actions required in order to succeed in the game.
For example, in 2026, the main objective of the year’s game was to shoot dodgeballs into a central hoop for points. In order to achieve this, teams had to design, build, and code mechanisms that would be capable of aiming and firing the dodgeballs in rapid succession. Roughly three months after the release of the game, these high school teams will compete against each other at different high schools and colleges. For example, last year Hingham Robotics attended the University of Rhode Island competition and the Worcester Polytechnic Institute competition.
This upcoming January, a new game will be released with its own objectives and point-scoring system. Although the FRC organization will not release the specifics of the game until January, there will be Robotics Club meetings right after school on Mondays in room 164, right next to the Cafeteria, focused on developing building and coding problem-solving skills through hands-on projects. For those with after-school sports and activities that conflict with the weekly Monday meeting time, there are plans for potential alternative morning and afternoon meetings.
Within one of these meetings, students will expand their problem-solving and creative skills through working on projects. For example, students recently designed custom LEGO bricks using a 3D modeling software that they now plan to 3D-print to bring them into reality. Hands-on projects such as this allow students to develop their abilities in a way that would not be possible in a standard classroom setting. As summarized by HHS sophomore builder Rhys Blanch, “I like robotics because it allows me to explore engineering through hands-on learning to design and test our own ideas.” These skills are crucial for those who plan on pursuing a career in engineering, computer science, or any other STEM-related field in college and beyond in the workforce. FIRST Robotics Competition has historically been a great source of scholarships, internships, and college application material for thousands of dedicated high school students around the world.
For any Hingham High School students interested in STEM, Robotics is a great opportunity to experience the engineering design process firsthand. In addition to providing beneficial opportunities in programming and engineering at the high school level, it can also be fun. As stated by HHS junior coder Juliet Meletta, “(Robotics) is a fun and competitive, but also a friendly environment which allows me to spend my time doing something I’m interested in and passionate about.” If you are interested in attending one of the meetings, the times will be posted on Google Classroom! (Code:ljxfdm5)
