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Robotics team wins top regional award, qualifies for world championships

Submitted by Karen Katz on Sun, 03/10/2013 - 8:13pm
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Congratulations!

The Catlin Gabel Flaming Chickens won the Chairman’s award for the fourth time! The team will go to the world championships in St. Louis, April 24–28. They've qualified for the world competition five out of six years, more than any other team in Oregon.

» Check out the Flaming Chicken's website for details

Middle School robotics teams take 1st and 2nd place at regionals, qualify for state

Submitted by Karen Katz on Mon, 12/10/2012 - 5:58pm
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Way to go!

Congratulations to the RoboSNAILS for their 1st place win in a tough competition against 20 teams. The team members are 8th graders Robin Attey, Matt Maynard, Grace Wong, Liam Wynne, and Sage Yamamoto. They are coached by senior Tucker Gordon. The RoboSNAILS’ research project was designing a website and iOS app to help senior citizens prepare nutritious meals and build community.

Team Sigma came in 2nd with 8th grade members Adolfo Apolloni, Ian Hoyt, Ryan Selden, and 7th grader Roy Stracovsky. Team Sigma had an over-the-top research project with a working model of a walker that senses the user’s location helps guide them. Junior Elyssa Kiva is their coach for the second year in a row.

Our two rookie teams also competed at regionals. Starstruck won the rising star award for the new team with the most promise. They are 6th graders Sujala Chittor, Natalie Dodson, and Amber Merrill. Their research project featured a puppet show presentation of a device that changes light bulbs. Senior Martina Dimitrov was their coach.

Sophomore Rushdi Abualhaija coached team Delta with 6th graders Avi Gupta, Tyler Nguyen, Quinn Okabayashi, Kian Palmer, and Spencer Shoemaker. Their research project was a working model of an Internet-programmed medication dispenser.

The state competition is on January 20. Good luck to the RoboSNAILS and Team Sigma!

Flaming Chickens robotics team on KGW-TV

Submitted by Nadine Fiedler on Thu, 09/13/2012 - 3:18pm
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KGW-TV news story, September 2012

Members of our Upper School robotics team, 1540 the Flaming Chickens, spent all weekend at OMSI's Mini Maker Faire September 15-16 talking to people about FIRST Robotics and Catlin Gabel. They also got up for a early 4:30 a.m. video shoot at OMSI to promote the faire.  Check it out.

Junior Marina Dimitrov named Dean's List winner at robotics world championships

Submitted by Karen Katz on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 4:02pm
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Congratulations, Marina!

Flaming Chickens robotics team co-captain Marina Dimitrov was was one of 10 Dean’s List winners worldwide at the robotics championships in St. Louis. She is the first student from Oregon to win this award for leadership, commitment, technical expertise, and entrepreneurship. The award includes a weeklong trip to a FIRST leadership conference, personally written letters of recommendation to the colleges of her choice, and $1,000 toward the team’s registration fees for next year’s world championships.

Catlin Gabel News Winter 2010-11

Submitted by Nadine Fiedler on Mon, 04/04/2011 - 1:28pm
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From the Winter 2010-11 Caller

NEWS FROM AROUND HONEY HOLLOW

Nobel laureate poet Billy Collins visited this fall as the 2010–11 Karl Jonske Memorial Lecturer, surprising an English class with a visit before reading his poetry to all. . . . Students and teachers from Martinique and Gifu Kita, Japan, visited campus this winter. . . . Upper and Middle School students performed at Portland’s Winningstad Theatre during the Fall Festival of Shakespeare, a collaboration between Portland Playhouse and area high schools.
 

OUR GREAT TEACHERS

Upper School science teacher Bob Sauer was named an Outstanding Classroom Teacher in his region by the Oregon Science Teachers Association. The citation noted his ability to engender enthusiasm about science in his students and his international efforts for science education and experiential travel. . . . A paper co-authored by Upper School math teacher Lauren Sharesian on oscillators will be published by the prestigious journal Physical Review E . . . Woodshop teacher Michael deForest was this year’s Esther Dayman Strong lecturer and spoke on his apprenticeship to Ghana’s fantasy coffin-makers. . . . 4th grade teacher Mariam Higgins traveled to Haiti with a team of doctors to assist with surgical care and deliver medical and school supplies
 

ROBOTICS NEWS

The TechStart Education Foundation named robotics program director Dale Yocum Oregon’s technology educator of the year for inspiring passion and commitment and making technology accessible to all students; the award came with a $1,000 donation to the robotics program. . . . Catlin Gabel’s Flaming Chickens robotics team hosted the first annual Girl’s Generation robotics competition, and our girls team picked up the win. . . . Eighth grade Team Delta won the 1st place champion’s runner-up award at the state Lego robotics competition with an innovative research project on lower leg prosthetics for developing countries.
 

OUR AMAZING STUDENTS

Vighnesh Shiv ’11 earned the AP Scholar with Distinction Award for receiving and average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. Rohisha Adke ’11 earned the AP Scholars Award. . . . Samme Sheikh ’11 was named an outstanding participant in the National Achievement Program, an academic competition that recognizes African American high schoolers. . . . 768 pounds of produce gleaned by 3rd and 4th graders at Kruger’s Farm was donated to the Oregon Food Bank. . . . Casey Currey- Wilson ’13 won first prize in the teen category of the nationwide Canon Photography in the Parks contest. . . . Aditya Sivakumar ’18 came in 3rd nationally in the elementary division of the Music Teachers National Association music competition. Lauren Mei Calora ’20 and Megan Stater ’12 won their age group at the Oregon Music Teachers Association classical piano competition. Holly Kim ’12 was selected for the All-State and All-Northwest Honors Orchestras.
 

ATH LETICS and SPORTS KUDOS

Catlin Gabel won three state championships this fall: the boys and girls soccer teams, and the girls cross country team. McKensie Mickler ’11 was named volleyball league player of the year, and Joseph Oberholtzer ’11 was voted state soccer player of the year. Joseph and teammate Ian Agrimis ’11 made first team all-state. Boys golf coach John Hamilton was the Oregon nominee for the National Federation of High Schools “Coach of the Year” award. . . . Portland Tribune named three students athlete of the week: Zoë Schlanger ’13 and Ian Agrimis ’11 for soccer, and Esichang McGautha ’12 for basketball. McKensie Mickler ’11 was recognized as athlete of the week by the Oregonian. USA Synchro named Katy Wiita ’12 to the 2011 National Synchronized Swimming Team, which will compete in Shanghai, China. . . . Alex Foster ’11 was one of 150 students nationwide named to the 2011 McDonald’s All American games for basketball.  

 

Catlin Gabel students take home awards from NW Science Expo

Submitted by Nadine Fiedler on Mon, 04/04/2011 - 8:03am
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The 28th annual Intel Northwest Science Expo (the statewide science fair) was held at Portland State University on April 1. Four Catlin Gabel students had qualified to attend the state fair based on results from the earlier regional science fairs. All four students won awards in their categories, and one was selected to continue to the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

 
Senior Vighnesh Shiv entered a project titled "Novel Algorithms for Automatic Music Transcription." He won first place in the Computer Science category and was selected to represent Oregon at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles in May. Vighnesh also won the Intel Excellence in Computer Science Award and a special award from the IEEE.
 
Senior Rohan Jhunjhunwala entered a project titled "Road Detection via Computer Vision and Laser Scanning." He won second place in the Engineering: Electrical and Mechanical category, and in addition won the Outstanding Project award from the the U.S. Air Force and won a special award from the IEEE.
 
Sophomore Terrance Sun and freshman Lawrence Sun entered a team project titled "Using Formal Verification Techniques to Find Contradictions in Laws Concerning Police Use of Force." Terrance and Lawrence won Third Place in the Computer Science Category.
 
Congratulations to all of these students for their hard work!
 
—Andrew Merrill, computer science teacher

 

8th grade robotics Team Delta vying for Global Innovation prize, and you can vote for them

Submitted by Nadine Fiedler on Fri, 03/04/2011 - 12:37pm
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Our 8th grade robotics Team Delta has come up with an amazing idea for making prosthetic devices cheaper and more accessible in developing countries. They're in the XPrize competition for Global Innovation, and they need your help. You can vote for them at the bottom of their page. Voting has been extended two weeks from the original March 4 deadline.

Girls robotics tourney a great success

Submitted by Nadine Fiedler on Tue, 11/16/2010 - 10:27am
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Girls rock in robotics at CGS-sponsored competition
Robotics at the high school level engages both boys and girls with its spirit of inventiveness, collaboration, and exciting challenge. Thousands of girls around the world participate in FIRST robotics—but mostly in the marketing, spirit, and outreach areas of their robotics team. Many graduate from the program without having played a significant role in the engineering side of the team, and without having gained the knowledge and skills that come from doing so.
 
In response to this gender gap, Catlin Gabel’s “Flaming Chickens” robotics team hosted the first annual Girl’s Generation robotics competition at Catlin Gabel on Saturday, November 13. Organized by female senior Rohisha Adke and staffed by the male members of the team, they presented Girl’s Generation as a chance for female members of area robotics teams to take center stage. “We hoped to inspire girls to take advantage of the opportunities for growth that FIRST offers by giving them a slight advantage over their often dominating male counterparts, and a chance to witness the fun of engineering for themselves,” said Dale Yocum, Catlin Gabel’s robotics program director.
 
Fourteen Oregon and Washington teams attended the competition, making it the largest event of its kind. Only girls were allowed to be on the robot drive teams, and only girls could work on them in the pits. The teams worked extra hard, playing as many matches Saturday as they’d normally play for an entire regional tournament.
 
At the end, Catlin Gabel’s Flaming Chickens—seniors Rohisha Adke and Lynne Stracovsky, and sophomores Hannah Ashley, Marina Dimitrov, Anne Gilleland, and Eve Lowenstein—brought home the winner’s trophy. But all the girls who attended came away with the warmth of knowing who exactly their peers are: smart, confident girls ready to work together to take on the difficult challenges they face in robotics, and well prepared for the next big competition.

 

Robotics program director Dale Yocum named technology educator of the year

Submitted by Karen Katz on Fri, 09/17/2010 - 10:03am
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Congratulations, Dale!

The TechStart Education Foundation named Dale Yocum Oregon's technology educator of the year. The award honors a teacher who is:

An effective, engaging instructor who inspires passion and commitment from her or his students while advancing their critical thinking ability, skills, and knowledge in challenging, meaningful ways.

An advocate for the study of information technology, making technology accessible to all students and building an inclusive culture.

A role model for colleagues, who is committed to ongoing personal and peer professional development and establishes, evolves and communicates best practices and pedagogy.

In addition to prestige and recognition, the award comes with a $1,000 donation to Catlin Gabel's robotics program.

Grads Kevin Ellis & Yale Fan celebrated on FIRST robotics website

Submitted by Nadine Fiedler on Wed, 06/23/2010 - 3:27pm
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FIRST web article, June 2010

Catlin Gabel News Spring 2010

Submitted by Nadine Fiedler on Tue, 06/22/2010 - 9:18am
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From the Spring 2010 Caller

AMAZING AWARDS IN SCIENCE

Yale Fan ’10 and Kevin Ellis ’10 both won top honors and $50,000 each by coming in second place with all-around prizes in the recent Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. This was the first time ever that two winners have come from the same school. Yale has also won a place on the 20-member 2010 U.S. Physics Team, and he placed ninth at the Intel Science Talent Search in Washington, D.C., earning him a $20,000 award for his research on the advantages of quantum computing in performing difficult computations. Kevin was also one of the 40 Intel STS finalists in Washington, D.C. and won a $7,500 award. At this year’s international Northwest Science Expo, Kevin Ellis ’10, Rose Perrone ’10, and Vighnesh Shiv ’11 each won special awards from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Rose also came in second place in electrical and mechanical engineering. Yale won first place in physics and astronomy and several other awards. Brynmor Chapman ’10 won statewide second place in biochemistry, and Lucy Feldman ’10 won statewide honorable mention in animal sciences. Kudos to all!

NEWS FROM AROUND HONEY HOLLOW

Catlin Gabel was selected by Oregon Business magazine as one of the 100 Best Green Companies to Work For in Oregon, honoring the school’s variety of green policies and the high value its employees places on sustainable practices. . . . An article by facilities director Eric Shawn, “Catlin Gabel School—a Focus on Food,” was published in the May 2010 inaugural edition of the Journal of Sustainability Education. . . . PLACE director and urban studies teacher George Zaninovich was nominated by the Coalition for a Livable Future for the Robert L. Liberty Regional Leadership Award for his significant contributions to Portland’s livability. . . . . The Oregon Athletic Coaches Association named Lerry Baker the girls track coach of the year and John Hamilton the golf coach of the year for 2009. . . . This year’s diversity conference in April offered a wide variety of workshops on issues that included homeless youth, blindness, race and American popular music, Southern African cultures, immigration, political diversity, masculinity, worldwide access to technology, and contemporary religious practice. The day was capped with performances by the Jefferson Dancers and the Maru-a-Pula Marimba Band from Botswana.
 

FESTIVE GAMBOL BRINGS IN GREAT SUPPORT FOR FINANCIAL AID

Thanks to enthusiastic bidders, donors, volunteers, and supporters, the celebratory 2010 Gambol auction at The Nines hotel raised $345,000. Derrick Butler, M.D. ’86 brought the crowd to its feet when he spoke at a special appeal for financial aid. Many thanks to co-chairs Gina Wand and Heather Gaudry Blackburn ’90 (right).
 

OUTSTANDING SERVICE WORK

Middle School students, staff, and families contributed 1,152 pounds of food to the Oregon Food Bank for Project Second Wind. . . . The Upper School Environmental Club raised enough funds through sales of smoothies and baked goods to help provide 641 Iraqi students with clean, safe drinking water through Water for Peace.
 

KUDOS TO OUR STUDENTS

Mariah Morton ’12 jumped 18 feet at track and field districts to break the school long jump record set by Wendy Miller Johnson ’68 in 1968. . . . The Upper School mock trial team won its third state championship competing against high schools many times our size. . . . Cody Hoyt ’13 won an Oregon Driver Education Center video contest about safe driving with a spoof of the Old Spice commercial. . . . The Flaming Chickens robotics team won the regional Chairman’s Award this year, the highest honor. They also won the Innovations in Controls award at the Colorado regional competition.
 
 
For their senior prank, the community-minded class of 2010 converted the Upper School quad to a petting zoo for the young ones
 

 

Robotics team wins in an upset at the Colorado regional competition

Submitted by Karen Katz on Sun, 03/28/2010 - 12:11pm
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Thirteen members of the Flaming Chickens robotics team traveled to Denver for spring break to take their robot for a spin before attending the world championships in Atlanta next month. The main goals were to update their robot and get more drive practice. They entered the competition with guarded expectations because NASA engineers mentor some of the competing teams who had admittedly superior robots.

The Flaming Chickens employed competitive analysis and captured data on each team at the competition. They devised an alliance of overlooked teams, dominated every other alliance, and went on to defeat the giants of the tournament. The crowd went wild.

The Flaming Chickens came home with two trophies: the Regional Champions award and the Innovations in Controls award for their tightly integrated control system that accurately controls and kicks the soccer ball.

 

Support the Catlin Gabel Difference

Submitted by Nadine Fiedler on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 3:42pm
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Teachers speak about our distinctive programs
From the Winter 2010 Caller
The programs here embody Catlin Gabel’s uniqueness. These important offerings advance the mission of the school by continually reinforcing and refining the notion of progressive education. The teachers quoted here highlight what makes these programs exceptional and what they contribute to a Catlin Gabel education.
 

Robotics
By Dale Yocum, Middle & Upper School robotics program director

Catlin Gabel’s robotics program gives students experience with hands-on engineering. More important than that, it is an opportunity to work together as a team accomplishing an impossible goal in a time too short and with a budget too small, just like the real world. Our robotics team is the most decorated in Oregon, advancing to the world championships the last three years in a row. Our membership continues to grow, with 10% of the upper school now taking part. The next phase of work for robotics is to apply our skills earned in competitions towards other problems in the community. Our work to improve the quality of life for the elephants in the zoo is the first example of how we will reach out.

Outdoor Education
By Peter Green, outdoor education director & Upper School dean of students

The outdoor education program is the place where students grow in ways that will help them face the challenges of the outside world. It is one of the ways we help prepare them for the unexpected. The program provides leadership opportunities where students are genuinely challenged to lead their peers, make decisions, and confront daunting obstacles. This past year we passed a major milestone with 60% of the current Upper School students having been on an outdoor program trip. January marks the fifth anniversary of the program, and we have offered over 120 trips. Our plan is to involve as many students as possible. We will be offering more trips that are truly adventures, like our trip to Paulina Butte in central Oregon, where the group will hike up in winter conditions and try to construct a pond or tub to warm themselves before camping out.

Global Education
By Spencer White, global education coordinator & Middle School Spanish teacher

Global education at Catlin Gabel takes full advantage of the international diversity of parents, faculty, and staff to design activities and travel experiences that do not rely on outside contractors or travel agents. Connections to places and cultures far from Catlin Gabel exist in our students’ daily classes and lives rather than as an isolated, future destination. Our students need to be able to communicate and act internationally at every level of their education. Fostering abilities in cross-cultural communication and critical thinking about global issues is at the forefront of our global initiative. Our global programs are developing exponentially. We have launched the Viewfinder Global Film Series, which showed 23 films this year. We invite families from all divisions to gather monthly to view and discuss films selected by the faculty, connected to curriculum. This series honors the diversity of our families and allows us to expand our perspectives on the world and its cultures. In addition, global trip opportunities for Middle and Upper School students this year include Costa Rica, Martinique, Nepal, Cuba, and Japan.

The Learning Center
By Kathy Qualman, Middle & Upper School learning specialist

The Learning Center is truly the place where each child is the unit of consideration. We help students from all four divisions understand their unique cognitive abilities and work with them to identify and practice strategies that get them to their academic goals. We facilitate communications between families, students, teachers, and outside resources so that we are coordinated in supporting student learning. For students there is no stigma attached to using the Learning Center. It’s seen as a resource for all, just like the libraries. Our achievements are highly personal to each student and family. We believe they are life changing and life enhancing. It makes us proud to see the transformation in students, culminating with graduation, when we see our students walk across the stage every June. In recent years between 75% and 95% of each graduating class has used our services during their time at Catlin Gabel. We are working on improving our ESL support, strengthening our efforts to help students transition between divisions, integrating new technologies, strengthening support for new students, becoming a more active professional resource for teachers, investigating partnerships with other institutions, and becoming a resource to our greater Portland community.

PLACE--Planning and Leadership Across City Environments (formerly the Urban Leadership Program)
By George Zaninovich, PLACE director

This unique program allows students to gain exposure to local government and learn how engaged citizens can influence the future of their communities. Every PLACE class culminates in a service learning project where students form an urban planning consulting firm and complete a plan for a client. This directly benefits the community as Catlin Gabel students, working with students from other public and private high schools, tackle a need in our city and find appropriate solutions. Recently, thanks to the work of PLACE’s advisory committee made up of city leaders and Catlin Gabel students and teachers, PLACE was awarded a prestigious grant from the Edward E. Ford Family Foundation. We have added partners in Portland’s Bureau of Planning of Sustainability, Portland State University, and Portland’s public schools. PLACE has come a long way in the last year by adding semester classes at Catlin Gabel, and offering the course at Lincoln and Marshall high schools. We are looking to build a more robust urban studies curriculum at Catlin Gabel, as well as expanding the summer program to include a middle school Urban Exploration camp and more opportunities for high school students from across the region.

The Arts
By Nance Leonhardt, Middle & Upper School art teacher

 
Active participation in the arts is essential to each student’s understanding and appreciation of humanity. We honor the integrity of each student’s work and aim to create an environment that facilitates creative risk taking, where the process is as important as the product. One example of many vibrant programs in the arts is the Poetry in Motion project, which frees students from traditional media conventions and pushes them to explore cinematography and editing from an experimental and expressionistic angle. It generates cross-divisional connections between filmmakers and poets, and joins the community in a creative process. Each year students in the project produce 45 original films, inspired by works of poetry written by community members ranging in age from 4 to 65 and beyond.
To support these, and all of the amazing programs at Catlin Gabel, please visit the giving website or call or email the development office, 503-297-1894 ext. 302.  

 

Catlin Gabel News Winter 2010

Submitted by Nadine Fiedler on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 2:41pm
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From the Winter 2010 Caller

NEWS FROM AROUND HONEY HOLLOW

All Kinds of Minds named Catlin Gabel a School of Distinction. Among other criteria, the school won the honor for “implementing a wide range of creative learning concepts that take into consideration students’ strengths, affinities, and challenges.” . . . Albina Head Start honored Catlin Gabel for its 16-year commitment to volunteer service at its early childhood education center. . . . Lauren Reggero-Toledano’s Spanish V Honors students presented their research project, “The Hispanic Presence in Oregon: From the Great Depression to Today,” to the Latin American studies program at Lewis & Clark College. . . . Retired teacher Dave Corkran accepted a Regional Forester’s award this fall from the Mt. Hood National Forest for Catlin Gabel’s many years of volunteer work restoring degraded land, through the Elana Gold ’93 Memorial Environmental Restoration Project and other student volunteer work. Since 1991, Catlin Gabel students have contributed more than 15,000 hours of labor.
 

FAREWELL!

Upper School counselor George Thompson ’66 will retire at the end of the school year. “There is never a good time to leave a vocation that one has loved, but this is as easy a moment as any. I will miss Catlin Gabel and plan to stay in touch with the good friends I have made here,” he says. Also retiring is Bob Kindley, Upper School math teacher. “The teaching of mathematics has always been interesting and exciting for me. I enjoy seeing students understand something for the first time and like hearing their new and interesting questions. I will miss the classroom and Catlin Gabel but feel that it is now time to pursue other things,” he says.
 

HONORS TO KEVIN ELLIS ’10 AND YALE  FAN ’10

Kevin Ellis ’10 and Yale Fan ’10 were named finalists in the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search in January, two of 40 students nationally receiving the award. They received an all-expensepaid trip to Washington DC in March to compete for more than $500,000 in scholarships. Kevin and Yale were also national semifinalists in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology, sponsored by the College Board. Kevin also won a Best of Category award in computer science at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2009 in Reno, Nevada, and he presented at the International Symposia on Implementation and Application of Functional Languages IFL 2009 conference at Seton Hall University, along with graduate students and university professors from around the world. 

OUR AMAZING STUDENTS

An op-ed by Lauren Edelson ’10 on college tours was printed in the New York Times on December 5. . . . Joey Lubitz ’10 won a Golden Key, the highest regional honor in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program, and his artwork will be part of the national judging. . . . Artworks by Claire Rosenfeld ’17, Layton Rosenfeld ’19, and Will Attig ’20 were selected for the “Super Hero” exhibition in the Jordan Schnitzer Art Museum in Eugene, on display through May. . . . Megan Stater ’12 placed first in the recent Oregon Music Teachers Association Classical Piano Festival. Michael Zhu ’11 took first place in the association’s Piano Romantic Festival, after placing third in their Chris Tapang Scholarship Competition. . . . . Middle School robotics Team Delta won 3rd at state championships, with the Green Dragons winning runner-up Champion’s Award and Team Echo winning second in research.
 

FALL ATHLETICS and SPORTS ROUNDUP

Both the boys and girls soccer teams were finalists at state. The girls cross-country team won second at state. . . . . McKensie Mickler ’11 was named an Oregonian athlete of the week in October after she had “27 kills to power the Eagles to a four-game victory over Vernonia” in volleyball . . . Students who recently placed high in state and national competitions in sports outside of CGS included Conner Hansen ’15 in Tae Kwon Do, Anna Byrnes ’11 in competition with her horses, Neil Badawi ’12 in soccer, and Ashley Tam ’15 in swimming.
 
Intel Science Talent Search photo of Intel's Bill MacKenzie with Kevin Ellis '10 & Yale Fan '10 courtesy The Oregonian

 

Interests, Passions, Magnificent Obsessions: Violinist, 7th grade

Submitted by Nadine Fiedler on Tue, 03/09/2010 - 2:09pm
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From the Winter 2010 Caller

Passion: playing the violin
Interests: robotics, soccer

“I’ve been playing violin for six years, and for the past two I’ve been in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. I started by playing fiddle tunes, then I got more serious and got into classical music. I like having weekly one-on-one lessons from a teacher who focuses on where I need to improve. I love playing really hard classical music. It takes a lot out of you, and I like that.
 
At MYS we perform four concerts a year, and before them we rehearse weekly for six weeks. I get more precise in my performance because I’m playing in a group, and playing for people. Concerts make it all come together for me.
 
I’m a programmer this year in robotics. It’s challenging to take different ideas about how to use pieces of information in a way that is logical, fast, and consistent. I would love to go on in robotics. I also play classic soccer, which I love. Robotics is individual, but you come together at competitions. In soccer you’re with the team the entire time, and you play as a team.

I really like challenges. I love to be challenged in every way possible. Music and robotics keep presenting challenges to me.”