For the second year in a row, the Franklin High School Robotics Team has earned a trip to St. Louis to compete in the FIRST World Robotics Championships. Nationally, the FIRST robotics program (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) this year included over 68,000 high school students and 2,270 teams. Franklin High School was one of six teams to qualify in a regional championship that attracted 64 teams from nine eastern states, including Virginia.

The competition involves the design and construction of a robot measuring up to five feet tall and weighing no more than 120 pounds that can perform certain physical tasks.

For those of us who struggle with properly programming our television remotes, the successful construction of a working robot is inconceivable.

For this team to qualify for a shot at a world championship in such an endeavor is a significant accomplishment, to say the least.