WRITTEN BY EMILY BAER
If there’s anything that can bring engineers together, it’s a challenge. So, when students at Bucksport High School decided to establish Robotics Team 6329 in 2017, they were undaunted by the task ahead of them. In addition to designing and building robots out of raw materials, the students and their coaches, Mike Goss and John Boynton, were also designing and building a competitive program from scratch.
“We didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into,” Boynton said. “Our robots were built with a drill press, a band saw, and a lot of hard work.”
Still, the team quickly found success. During their first three years, they regularly placed in the top 10 during competitions and qualified for the New England Championships. Then, in 2019, they received a generous donation from a local family and started gaining the competitive momentum they’d been looking for.
“We were incredibly fortunate to get a donation of three CNC machines from the Silvernail family,” Boynton said. “We have seen incremental improvement every year since.”
The computer numerical control (CNC) machines allow the team to automate the tools they use by embedding custom-coded computer software inside of each. By doing so, they can automate the control and movement of their tools. In addition to improving their precision, the speed of the CNC machines is indispensable when it comes to rapid prototyping and testing.
After years of hard work and determination, the team met the goal they’d long been pursuing: competing in the 2023 FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) World Championships in Houston, Texas. Buoyed by the support of their community, Team 6329 went on to bring home a bronze medal, international acclaim, and a new challenge for the Bucks to pursue.
This year’s championship is set for mid-April and the team is hard at work in preparation. They hope to repeat last year’s success and have been brainstorming, testing, and reworking ideas since FIRST’s 2024 game manual was released in January.
In addition to gaining skills in computer-aided design (CAD), wiring, machining, tool usage, math, science, programming, business, and strategy, students have the opportunity to develop expertise in areas that may not generally be associated with robotics. There are team members, for example, who help support marketing, fundraising, social media, and outreach efforts, as well as documenting the team’s technical accomplishments and their competitions.
“What is different about this program is that you can learn as much or as little as you want,” Boynton said. “We are working hard to repeat the successes of last year but also want to continue to make our team more well-rounded.”
Having more than doubled since its founding, the team attracts students from a broad range of backgrounds.
“Our team has always been such a diverse group of kids,” Boynton said. “We have three-sport athletes, technical school students, honors students, art kids, band kids, and future engineers. We are also now over 50 percent girls, which is very unusual in the world of robotics.”
The team’s success is supported by a network of community businesses, mentors, families, and friends. “It is due in large part to our community that we have seen the success we have,” Boynton said. “Local businesses sponsor our team, alumni support us however they can, and we are incredibly lucky how supportive the school has been.”
To learn more or to support their work, follow about Team 6329 on Facebook.
