Building a Better Future: One Robot at a TimeTeam – 977 Cometbots
Argo, Team 977’s robot for the 2025 Season, was named to reflect the team’s journey in overcoming barriers to achieve greatness in competition and is symbolic of the ship used in Greek mythology’s “Jason and the Argonauts” Courtesy of Cometbots 977
Discovery, innovation, teamwork, impact, inclusion, and fun. These are the guiding values of Team 977- Cometbots – a high school level FIRST Robotics Competition Team based in Halifax County, Virginia. Students participating with Team 977 have two goals each year: to design and build a competition-winning robot and to spread STEM education and awareness across their region. Following the motto “more than just robots,” Team 977 is making an impact on both members and the community.
Competition Season
Each year, students are given six weeks to design, prototype, build, program, test, and compete a robot based on a game challenge announced in January.
The team competes at two district events in a season as a preliminary round, which can earn members the opportunity to compete at the First Chesapeake District Championship. Ranking 17th place or higher in the district will win them a bid to compete at the FIRST World Championship in Houston, Texas, against teams from around the globe.
This past season, Team 977 traveled to Portsmouth and Blacksburg to compete in qualifying events as well as two preseason events during the fall of 2024 and the FIRST Chesapeake District Championship. Overall, Team 977 and its robot Argo finished 33rd out of 112 teams across Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. The team also earned the Finalist Award for being in the top two alliances at Blacksburg, and the Judges’ Award for the team that most impressed the judges. Team 977 plans to compete in two additional competitions this fall and the competition season in the spring of 2026.
A Cometbot Story
Team 977 includes 11 student members from Halifax and Mecklenburg counties and is supported by six adult mentors. Participating students learn life and engineering skills. Students work with mentors to learn computer-assisted design, electrical, machining, 3D printing, laser cutting, graphic design, automation, project management, programming, business management, teamwork, and leadership, among other skills.
I am a senior at Mecklenburg County High School and I serve as the team’s Safety Captain and Pit Crew member. I have learned the basic concepts and practices of safety and security for the team members and the robot, which I can put into practice in my intentions to become a teacher. Chief Learning Officer Helen Nguyin is also a senior at Halifax County High School and says that during her time on the team, members have “transitioned from teammates to friends.”
Preston Whitt, a sophomore at Halifax County High School, serves as the team’s chief technical officer and enjoys “working on the programming, design, and electrical process of building the robot.” He hopes to see “an increase in student engagement through pipelines and outreach” efforts of the team.
Outreach and Impact
When not competing, Team 977 focuses on increasing community awareness of STEM and building a pipeline for future engineers. During the summer, team members plan and host multiple summer camps and engagement activities for students in grades K-5. Throughout the off-season (May-December), members participate in multiple community events including South Boston’s Harvest Festival, Walk For Hope, and SOVA Youth Activities Fair where they provide demonstrations and hands-on activities for community members. They also visit local elementary schools and invite the community and local businesses to visit their workshop to gain a better understanding of robotics in Halifax County. Additionally, the team has provided support and mentorship for the newly formed Robotics Club at Halifax County Middle School.
This year, Team 977 has several new community projects. These include partnering with Building Buddies of South Boston to start a new FIRST Robotics LEGO League for students in grades three through five; working with the Halifax County Chamber of Commerce to host Manufacturing Day Coffee Hour at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center, and hosting the inaugural STEM Challenge and Fair in the fall of 2025. The STEM Challenge will launch in August and provide an opportunity for students to solve a community problem using STEM skills. Student projects will be displayed, with winners announced during the STEM Fair scheduled for Nov. 13 at the Prizery in South Boston. The fair, sponsored by The Southern Virginia Education Foundation, Caliper Wellness, SENTARA Health Plans, Pumpkin and Bugg’s Bake Shop, and The Mercantile and Vintage Market, will provide STEM-focused activities for students to complete in order to earn raffle tickets. Tickets can then be used to win prizes. The STEM Challenge and STEM Fair are free to participate in and attend. More information can be found under “outreach” on the website, team977.com.
Through community outreach, Team 977 has reached over 650 students and completed more than 100 outreach hours this past year, and hopes to continue to grow awareness through community events like the STEM Challenge and STEM Fair.
Partnering to Make a Difference
Team 977 operates as a nonprofit under Southern Virginia Robotics and, in staying true to its value of inclusion, never charges for members to be a part of the team or for community engagement. Thanks to the generous donations of team sponsors, including Hitachi, Iperion X, JM Tools, Clarksville Ruritan, Halifax County Schools, Halifax County Heritage Festival, and support from partners Halifax County Schools, Southern Virginia Higher Education Center, Southern Virginia Higher Education Foundation, and Building Buddies, Team 977 has proven its status as an elite robotics team both in competition and in the community, and is building a better future for Halifax and the surrounding counties one robot at a time.
info@team977.com
https://tinyurl.com/sponsor977
If you are interested in having Team 977 work with your organization to provide demonstrations or interactions, please contact outreach@team977.com. Please email or visit the website to make a tax-deductible donation to Team 977 to assist with building STEM and engineering skills for students.
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