Sean Sweeney ‘24

Chaminade High School’s Robotics Club encourages students to go beyond their comfort zones and explore talents and interests they maybe never even knew they had.

The club is run by Mr. George Paxos ’17 of the Science Department and Mr. Jason Booth of the English Department. A hands-on extracurricular activity, it takes on the daunting challenge of building robots from scratch. Members then compete in VEX Robotics competitions all over the tri-state area.

“Robotics Club is all about building robots and writing code for them to perform specific tasks,” Paxos stated. “We compete against other local high schools on Long Island and in New York City.”

Robotics Club is the perfect blend of competition and creativity. Prior to the competition, students are given tasks that their robots will have to complete. The weeks leading up to the competition are used to design, build, and program the robots.

Paxos observed that “the main reason students join robotics is because they have a passion for or interest in STEM. Robotics is at the intersection of different aspects of math and science, which allows for many opportunities to contribute to building the robot.”

Robotics is particularly interesting, Paxos continued, “because we are able to use math and science to produce a machine that is able to perform a task based on the physical design and instructions we give it. The process of going from scratch to a working robot can require a lot of effort and can be arduous, but it is extremely rewarding.”

Daniel Calabrese ’23, a member of the club, stated, “The Robotics Team is a great group of guys who enjoy using design and engineering skills to collaborate and complete complex tasks. The team builds robots that compete…against other schools and clubs on regional, state, and global levels.”

Robotics Club is a great extracurricular to have on one’s high school resume and can help students learn valuable skills in math and science. Interested students can sign up for the club in Canvas under the Student Activities module, or they can contact one of the club’s moderators.

Paxos had this message for any new students who are looking to join: “I absolutely recommend that any students who have a passion for math, science, or engineering get involved with the Robotics Club!”