A group of kids around a table with a robot on the table.

Members of the newly formed Sussex Academy C++ Hawks robotics team are ready to host the FTC Delaware State Championship on Feb. 27, 2027. Gathered are (l-r) Neil Shenoy, Arjun Verma, Jonathan Zacariaz-Barrera, Anastasia Lynn, Clark Burress, Kathryn Wilson, Joseph Micciche, Brian Micciche, Jaxson Taulbee, Alex De La Rosa, Dylan Navarrete-Lopez, Burton Hagen, Kenton Legg, Max Dadukov, Dalila Lopez-Perez and Mia Benito. (Sussex Academy)

GEORGETOWN, Del. - Sussex Academy has launched a new robotics club, with students preparing to compete in this year's FIRST Tech Challenge.

The team, known as the C++ Hawks, includes middle and high school students who have spent the past several weeks learning to build and program robots from scratch.

The club received a $1,250 grant from the school's Soaring Higher fundraiser to help launch its operations. Additional funding from a Mid Atlantic Robotics grant helped the team purchase field components, a base kit and electronics.

The school said competitions begin this month, with qualifying teams selected in December. Local competitions will lead to the FIRST Tech Challenge Delaware State Championship, where qualifying teams and award winners can advance to the FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas, at the end of April.

This year's environmentally themed BioBuzz challenge requires teams to design robots capable of collecting and launching objects representing pollen and nectar into designated areas called hives or flowers.

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Torie joined CoastTV's team in September of 2021. She started at CoastTV as a Photographer/Editor, then went on to report in Milford, Milton and Lewes primarily. Now, she is the Managing Content Editor, helping find stories, assist reporters, write for the website and manage digital entities.

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