This weekend the Newton LigerBots are headed to WPI in Worcester for the FRC New England Regional Championships. Last year the combined Newton North and Newton South FIRST Robotics team did well enough to land themselves at the World Championships in St. Louis. But this year they’re up for one more huge award: The Chairman’s Award.
While the robots compete on the field, another competition happens in a closed boardroom that is even more important. The Chairman’s Award is the top award in FIRST Robotics because it has to do with both how a team give back to the community and how it presents itself to the judges (check out the video from last year’s winner). This year the team spent quite a bit of time reaching out to the community. Just last week they took part in the Mayor’s STEM Night and earlier this school year met neighbors at the Whole Foods in Newton Four Corners. 
The award is so prestigious that each year the winning team of the National Chairman’s Award is induced into the FIRST Hall of Fame and, from then on, is always invited to the World Championships.
The LigerBots won the award at the NE District Championship at UMASS Dartmouth earlier this season and will compete against 9 other teams in Worcester. A final 4 from New England will move on to the National Competition.
Also this year, Coach Chuck Hurwitz is up for the Woody Flowers Award. It’s just as prestigious, but honors the mentor instead of the full team.
Of course, while some members of the team are going in front of judges in a quiet room, others will be screaming from the stands.
Come join them! We can use all the cheering help we can get. Of course, if you can’t get there you can watch online.
Good luck to the Ligerbots! And a note of appreciation for coach Chuck Hurwitz: There are few in the city of Newton who have worked so hard for so long in various endevours, ALL for the benefit of the youth of this city. He was the first girls soccer coach at Newton South, coached wrestling for ages along with many other sports, taught science, became science department head and founded and coaches the Ligerbots (which requires year-round work!). He was born to teach/coach. I know from experience: he was my Boy Scout patrol leader back in the days of dinosaurs! He was a natural, I was not…
I will second everything Terry has to say about Chuck Hurwitz. He has lived the core values of citizenship and service to others that were imparted to him by his parents and the Boy Scouts.
A parent told me that the Ligerbots are losing their work space at the high school. Has anyone else heard anything about that? Awful shame if it is true.
Yes … it seems the Ligerbots may be losing workable space next year. Newton South is re-arranging some of their classroom space and there seems to be a disconnect with what the Ligerbots need in a work space and what would be resulting from the re-arrangements. We have mentors and coaches more than happy to work ANYONE to explain the parameters of what the team would need in order to continue … and how that might coordinate with the rest of Newton South’s needs, but it seems not everyone is talking at the same table.
ANY help in trying to resolve this would be greatly appreciated!!