Congratulations to the three FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics teams including Lake Harriet students who had fantastic performances this season! “Turquoise Turtles”, including Ben T, Gray M, Reese M, and Zander Z, were tied for first at the season’s first league meet. “CAATS”, including Arman K and Emily S, placed 2nd at the other two league meets and were finalists for the Promote award at the League Championships on January 13th. “Code Blooded”, consisting of Allison H, Bryn G, Georgia R-D, Naomi R, Paola R, Sam F, and Sophie M, went undefeated at the League Championships and were finalists for the Innovate award. This was a tremendous performance, competing against 31 other teams with students in up to 12th grade including four teams who advanced to last year's FTC World Championships! Also of note, LHCS alumni “The Rubies” won the most prestigious “Inspire” award as they aim to once again qualify for the World Championships later this year. Southwest FTC is a new program affiliated with Southwest High School for middle school students in the Southwest attendance zone. Students met regularly over the summer and fall building, programming, and documenting their robot while also giving community demonstrations. New teams will be formed for next season's game over the summer; contact swftcteams@gmail.com to be notified when signups and an informational session are held towards the end of the school year, or see https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/ftc/what-is-first-tech-challenge for more information about FTC robotics