Robotics team earns strong showing in season competition as enthusiasm for engineering at Mayfield thrives
A Girls Scouts of America robotics team, in its first year of partnership with Mayfield Senior School, has earned high rankings among the top robotics teams in the West and showed off their skills at a "Super Regional" competition earlier this month.
They call themselves the “Javabots” and since August this all-girls robotics team—five Mayfield students and eight girls from other high schools throughout the San Gabriel Valley—have been an occupying force inside Mayfield’s Turner Center, which has been transformed into a dedicated robotics design and testing space.
The Javabots, who built a robot they named “Latte,” earned high scores and were honored at the FIRST Tech Challenge Regional Robotics Championships with an Inspire Award. They were judged in areas including robot performance, computer programming and engineering, as well as community outreach. The competition challenges teams to program and build a robot that strategically completes tasks against and in alliance with other teams for points.
“I joined the team with no real prior knowledge about robotics, but I allowed myself to dive right in and immerse myself in a world where I was learning incredible skills and meeting the coolest people ever,” said Annie Tighe ’19. “No matter if someone is going to pursue science or not, being on the robotics team this year has been so rewarding and I love it so much!”
Through a significant community partnership, Mayfield is delighted to be serving as the home base for the award-winning Girl Scouts of America and FIRST Tech Challenge robotics program. The relationship deepens our commitment to STEM education for girls and offers a high-level opportunity for Mayfield student involvement.
The FIRST organization (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), which sponsors the nation’s premier robotics competition, is a non-profit group devoted to designing programs that motivate young people to pursue careers in engineering, math and science.
Head of School Kate Morin said she did not hesitate to host the Girl Scout robotics team in a key space in the heart of campus because their mission is in sync with our own educational goals.
“So much of how we live our lives in the future is going to be dependent on computer science and engineering—and it’s an area where girls have made limited progress,” Mrs. Morin said. “It’s our mission as an excellent all-girls school to not only prepare our girls for the future, but also to send our talented girls into a world that really needs their skills. The Girl Scouts are a perfect match for us.”
This year eight Mayfield students made a major commitment to work with two Girl Scout teams, Javabots and Rock ’n Roll Robots. Under the guidance of mentors from JPL and Cisco Systems—seven of whom are female engineers, the girls learned advanced skills in electronics, machining, operating robots, writing software and mechanical design.
Kemi Ashing-Giwa ’18, who has been a member of the Girls Scout robotics team for five years, said that housing the team at Mayfield has been a “dream come true” and offers limitless opportunities for our students.
“At Mayfield, I have developed both as a student and as a person. In robotics, the intricate lessons I learn in class connect as pieces of a spatial puzzle,” Kemi said. “It has been a dream come true to see the two predominant spheres of my life merge here—to see my peers benefit academically and personally from the realm of engineering, and to see my fellow Girl Scouts experience first-hand the boundless joys of Mayfield.”
Their work was not all about engineering as the team organized outreach events and learned lessons in teamwork, project management and strategic competition.
“In just one year students have gained skills in cutting-edge industry tools such as Solid Works CAD design and JavaScript programming language alongside mentors who use the same tools in their daily work,” said Melissa Tighe, Mayfield’s Director of Innovation and Community Partnerships. “The confidence and sense of future possibilities is transformative.”
Mrs. Tighe expects the Mayfield membership in the team to increase next school year.
The “Javabots” travelled to Spokane, WA for the “Super Regional Competition” and, although they did not advance to World Competition, the experience and the chance to compete alongside some of the brightest minds in high-school engineering has inspired the team to work even harder next season.
“The thing that impressed me most was being able to talk to teams from around the country and get to know their experience,” Annie said. “Being with smart, dedicated, and super fun people was such a blast and I wouldn't have traded that experience for the world.
“My biggest take-away? Never hold yourself back!” she said.
During the 2017-2018 season, FIRST Robotic Competitions included over 5,900 teams with a total surpassing 59,000 participants. There are over 2,900 official events held in 83 countries and more than $50 million in scholarship money.
Yet beyond the competition, Kemi said she has forged enduring friendships during her five years on the Girl Scout team.
“The best part is definitely the people—the robot is almost incidental,” she said. “The girls on the team are all brilliant and dedicated and creative, and the mentors are patient and helpful.”
She and others have been inspired by their work during these formative high school years.
“I can state without a doubt that there are no limits to what we can do,” Kemi said.
“Technology drives the future of humanity, and now Mayfield—and all the values we learn here—is playing an active role in that future!”
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Established in 1931, Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena, CA is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for young women grades 9-12. Noted for its rigorous academic program, which includes 28 Advanced Placement and Honors courses, Mayfield’s curriculum is underscored by a philosophy of educating the “whole child,” which also encourages commitment to and excellence in the arts, athletics, community service and spiritual growth. The nurturing environment at Mayfield Senior School allows each student to flourish in an atmosphere of personal attention.
