Volume 10, Number 12
Southington’s Hometown Newspaper
www.southingtoncitizen.com
Friday, March 21, 2014
Robotics students prepare to compete By Farrah Duffany Special to The Citizen
Students on The Cyber Knights high school robotics team have been working around the clock to prepare for competitions. This weekend, 33 teams from across the state, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts will showcase robots and compete for awards at Southington High School. It is the first time the town has hosted a competition. “We’re here like 50 hours a week,” said junior Bailey Kahl. “It’s like a full time job for us.” Students practice in a 4,000-square-foot building at Mohawk Northeast Inc., a construction and engineering company in Plantsville. Al Heinkie, the owner, offered the space and the team transformed it to an arena for robots. Wood planks a little more than a foot tall outline a rect-
angular area that is filled in with gray padding for the robots to glide over. Toward the back of the arena are three open slots about five feet high that the robot has to shoot a large rubber ball into. March 13, Robotics Team 3525 from Waterbury visited to practice with The Cyber Knights. Many teams in surrounding towns have come to use the practice field, said Cyber Knights mentor Sandra Brino. “Even though they compete against each other, students are stronger if they work together,” Brino said. “It helps us build stronger bonds,” said Megan Graham, a Cyber Knights senior. Students from all three Meriden high schools have also used the practice area. Their GUS Robotics team won an Engineering Inspirations Award in a competition in Groton a few Phi Trinh, left, and Michael Bielecki, both seniors at the high school and members of the Cyber Knights robotics team, help fix a sensor in their robot while practicing March 13 at See Robotics / Page 2 Mohawk Northeast Inc. in Plantsville. | Farrah Duffany / Special to The Citizen
Veterans Committee honors superintendent By E. Richard Fortunato
Special to The Citizen
Neither frigid winter weather nor the approaching departure from Southington of Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph V. Erardi, Jr. dampened the spirits of the Board of Education’s Veterans Committee at its monthly meeting March 10. Spirits were in fact upbeat as the committee carried out a joyful send-off to The Board of Education Veterans Committee recently honored outgoing School Superintendent Joseph Erardi Jr. Front Erardi who will be leaving row, from left: Patricia Queen, Joyce McAloon, Debbie Moreau, Dave Brennan, Len Marcheselle, Erardi, Joel Patrick his Southington post April 11 Leger, Patty Smolinski, Rachel Wache, Walter Hushak. Back row: Steve McCarty, Jeff Shaw, Steve Pintarich, Richard to assume his new duties as Terino. | E. Richard Fortunato / Special to The Citizen Superintendent of Schools in Newtown. ing neared adjournment to past 2.5 years. The outgoing parchment of the Mission Southington High School C o m m i t t e e m e m b e r s offer their gratitude to Erardi superintendent was given a Statement of the Veterans came forward as the meet- for his direction during the memento, a framed, engraved Committee. See Erardi / Page 2