In their short history, the robotics teams from Charyl Stockwell Preparatory Academy in Brighton have established themselves as among the best teams in the state and country.
And now, they’re going to be in the spotlight at the State Capitol.
The middle school and high school teams from CSPA, a charter school that celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, will be the centerpiece of a National School Choice Week event in the State Capitol rotunda in Lansing at noon Tuesday.
The teams will be setting up a competition field in the rotunda and putting on a demonstration as hundreds of spectators – including many state legislators – look on.
It’s a remarkable opportunity for the CSPA students to demonstrate the expertise and excellence that’s made them a Michigan powerhouse in robotics.
The robotics show is part of a celebration of school choice taking place at the State Capitol that day. Jan. 21-27 is National School Choice Week, as students and parents around the country celebrate the fact that they have options when it comes to their education.
“We’re so excited to be bringing the Charyl Stockwell Preparatory Academy robotics teams to the State Capitol to showcase their excellence,” said Dan Quisenberry, president of the Michigan Association of Public School Academies (MAPSA), the state charter school association. MAPSA is one of the organizations sponsoring the NSCW event.
“The robotics world knows about CSPA’s excellence, and now, Lansing is going to know about it, too. We can’t wait for the Senators and Representatives to see what these charter school superstars from Brighton can do.
“These students have been given the opportunity to thrive in their education – and specifically in robotics and engineering – because their parents had the choice of an excellent school like Charyl Stockwell Preparatory Academy. That’s what this is all about.”
The CSPA Gems Robotics team (the high school team) is in the beginning of its seventh season. They have qualified for both the State and World Championships for the past four years and plan to continue that trend. They won their home event in 2015 and have been finalists a number of times the last few seasons.
The Gems have become a household name in the FIRST robotics community through their competitive success and iconic branding with the Gems necklaces. They are currently in the build phase of the season and will compete in Milford the weekend of March 16-17.
The CSPA Miners middle school robotics team is in its fourth season. So far this season, the red-hot Miners have won both of their qualifying events during the regular season. They made it to the finals on their field at the State Championship and qualified for the North Super Regional in Iowa. They will travel to Iowa to continue their bid for the World Championship on March 15.
