Trivium Prep’s FTC Teams Achieve Stellar Success, Competing at World Robotics Championship

The high school robotics program at Trivium Prep competed in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), a global initiative by FIRST to use robots to help build character. The three FTC teams at Trivium, comprising a total of thirty students, achieved great success this year. They qualified for the state competitions, won several awards along the way, and one of their teams advanced to the World Competition in Houston, Texas.

Zachariah Arriaga has helped coach the FTC for the past six years and has been the lead coach for the last three. “I was brought on because I am the physics teacher at Trivium and understand simple engineering principles,” explained Arriaga. “Growing up, there was no robotics program at my school, so the whole experience was initially new to me. But my job is simply creating the space and giving them the time to be successful.”

After online meetings and outreach throughout the summer, the teams officially began preparing for the year in August. By September, they were learning about the robotics games they would be competing in, and from there, they began CADing (Computer Aided Design), building, programming, and driving a robot.

“I want them to do the work—code, CAD, and build—because if there is success, I want it all to be theirs. I almost never touch the robot unless they need a literal hand to hold it. I give my advice, which they can choose to follow or not. The big thing I control is what the teams buy, as I try to ensure that the funding is used well. I also help guide the teams on competition days and ensure they stay on schedule.”

Meetings are held at the school for two hours twice a week, and sometimes at students’ houses for several additional hours each week. One meeting, in particular, lasted 12 hours, demonstrating their dedication to the work.

In November, they started competing at state qualifying tournaments. Arriaga explained that they compete in at least five robot matches before moving on to the playoffs. At the state competition, two of the teams, Trivium Knightmares and Trivium Undefined, performed impressively. Both teams made it into the playoffs, where they were eliminated in the first round but still won high awards. The third team, Trivium Knightlights, struggled due to last-minute changes to their robot. Undefined won the 3rd place Inspire Award (the highest award given at an FTC competition), and Knightmares won the 1st place Inspire Award. As a result, Knightmares became one of three teams to move on to the World Competition.

After gaining more funds and making a few changes to the robot, the team went on to compete at the very large, multi-day tournament in Houston. There, they initially struggled but did well towards the end, finishing in the middle of the pack. They ranked the highest in their division among all the other FTC teams from Arizona.

Arriaga explained that throughout the season, the students were focused on more than just the robot. “They also have to reach out to sponsors to gain funding for parts and electronics. They are also supposed to build outreach, connecting with the community and spreading FIRST to others. Additionally, the teams are encouraged to reach out to companies to learn more from them and gain mentors in the process.” Arriaga added that they did a great job with outreach, organizing a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) camp at the academy last summer and visiting the capital last May for STEM Advocacy Day. They also had a student lead a STEM event in India while he was there.

“It is a challenge every year, looking ahead and knowing how much work and time it will take to get through the year,” said Arriaga. “But knowing the impact it has on several students makes it all worth it. For all the long meetings, early mornings, and late deadlines, it is always an honor to see these students grow, which is really the purpose of the entire thing—not to build robots, but to develop character.”

Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts?  Please contact jmoore@greatheartsamerica.org.