6 minute read
From Ragtag to Regionals
Becoming involved in robotics as a fifth grader was a defining moment for Caitlin Rapalski ’24. In fact, she looks at her young life in two parts — before robotics and after robotics. It all began when, with the encouragement of a friend who knew she loved LEGO sets, she joined the fledgling club that built robots with the colorful bricks and programmed them to do simple tasks. Looking back, Caitlin, who was immediately hooked, says, “I knew I really loved solving problems. But I didn’t realize what problems I liked solving…until robotics.”
McDonogh participates in three robotics leagues organized by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a global community devoted to preparing young people for the future. The youngest group, FIRST LEGO League (FLL) geared toward fourth to eighth graders, inspires critical thinking, core values, coding, design, and building skills through hands-on STEM learning and robotics. Students in eighth grade through Upper School participate in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) where they learn to think like engineers as they design, build, and code 18-inch robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams. Finally, FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), comprised of all Upper School students, combines the excitement of sports with the rigor of science and technology. FRC mentor and Upper School physics teacher Eric Conn puts it simply, “The youngest kids work with LEGOS, as they get older they build with what looks like erector sets, and lastly they build the big robots with materials like lumber and scrap aluminum.”
A decade ago, although McDonogh had an Upper School FRC team, there was no pipeline through which younger students could progress. In 2015, thanks to a series of serendipitous events and dedicated parents, led by volunteer coach Damian Doyle ’95, an FLL team was formed. His son, Leo ’24, a founding member of the young group, recalls, “We were a very ragtag team of fourth graders who clearly didn’t know what was going on.” Despite their lack of experience, they had fun, and once they got going, they began winning tournaments and going to the state championships.
Meanwhile, Caitlin, who joined the team in 2016, wasn’t the only one in her family intrigued by the robotics program. Her engineer father, Jason Rapalski, offered his expertise as a volunteer coach and soon became Doyle’s assistant. For the next several years, the two dads taught the students basic engineering skills, built camaraderie among the group, helped them innovate, and focused on the core values of the FIRST program.
Doyle says creating a pathway of programs and options starting in Lower School is “fantastic,” noting, “They are being taught the same design principles they will learn in college. Through FIRST, they are reinforced in fun, exciting, and positive ways.”
Rapalski adds, “It’s not about just building the robot, it’s how you do it together in an environment where everybody’s welcome.”
For the past eight years, Caitin, Leo, and classmates Jón Salenger and Zarina Hamilton have moved through the robotics programs at McDonogh largely under the direction of coaches Rapalski, Doyle, and Conn. This school year, the three coaches, who prefer the term “mentor,” worked with more than 50 students from all three divisions. Rapalski, who now coaches his son’s FTC team, explains, “We believe that no matter what level, the kids must be the ones to solve the problem. As coaches, we support the kids, give them the resources they need, and help them think it through.”
Caitlin agrees, saying her father and the other mentors are their biggest cheerleaders. “And,” she adds with a laugh, “They keep us from burning the building down.” In other words, “They’re really big on us figuring out a solution ourselves and that definitely helps the team feel more independent. We have a greater level of ownership as opposed to them just telling us what to do.”
As McDonogh’s first FLL team from the Class of 2024 graduates from McDonogh and ages out of the FIRST program, they are already looking at ways to continue being involved as judges, mentors, and referees. Caitlin, who plans to pursue a career in aerospace, says, “The FIRST robotics community nationwide is super welcoming and supportive. On a personal level, being a woman in STEM, there’s something really special about having female role models — people who look like you, are doing things like you, and showing you that there’s a place for you in science.”
For Leo, an incident at one of his first FLL competitions serves as an inspiration to mentor or referee younger teams. He recalls being a member of the “ragtag team” of fourth graders explaining, “We forgot to switch our batteries out before our match and our robot died on the field. Then we got a bunch of penalties because we were touching it to try and figure out what was going on. The head referee reworked the entire schedule of the tournament so that we could replace our batteries and get another shot.” He continues, “I aim to be that guy who helps teams get that second chance so they have the same memories that I had.”
Today, students are introduced to LEGO robotics in first grade by Lower School engineering and innovation teacher Jake Trout. They continue to gain exposure to robotics through fourth grade when they begin learning competition-level skills. Beginning in fifth grade, students can join the Middle School FLL team managed by Trout, with training and support from the older students in the division, before they move on to FTC and FRC.
- Meredith Bower
