BREWER, Maine (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- After performing at the top of their game at competitions in Maine and Massachusetts, the Brewer High School robotics team has set their sights high.
The team called Orange Chaos is made up of 14 students at Brewer High School. They won their first competition of the year at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. Sophomore Zoe Vittum and her teammates went on from that win to earn second place in the Pine Tree Qualifier in Lewiston with their robot named Lexie.
They are currently ranked ninth out of the 209 teams in New England.
"It's really nice to put six weeks of work and time in," said Vittum. "I think I ended the season with around 150 hours into this robot myself and to see it go to a competition and do so well, it really pays off."
Orange Chaos has qualified to compete in the New England Championship competition put on by For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). FIRST only allows teams to spend a certain amount of hours working on their robots before competition.
Lead mentor Everett Bennett has mentored his fair share of students and he always looks forward to the same struggles. It's troubleshooting that creates teachable and memorable moments.
"My favorite meetings are when you know we're say building a robot and I can look around and see that every body is busy doing something and they are all right into it getting things done," said Bennett.
The New England Championship is at Boston University from April 12-14. If Orange Chaos does well there, they will qualify to compete at the World Championship in Detroit, Michigan April 25-28.