Clifton Robotics China Competition

Clifton Middle School’s robotics team, the Hippie Bots, has been selected as the sole representative of the United States on behalf of L.A. FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) in the FIRST China Open in Shanghai June 3rd - 5th. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an international robotics organization. The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) is graciously sponsoring the trip and will cover all in-country costs such as hotel, transportation, and food. We, however, must raise our own money to cover the cost of traveling to and from Shanghai (airfare, luggage, Visa costs and additional educational days to experience Chinese history and culture ). The FTC division of FIRST is geared primarily towards high school teams.



Aidan McKelvey says that “competing in China will be an unforgettable, once in a lifetime experience for me and my teammates. We are all so excited!” McKelvey continued that “LA and Shanghai have some of the best robotics teams in the world. We are so grateful that we get to go against the world’s best.”

Builder Farrah Sawyer is excited to use this trip to "learn about Chinese culture and to get new ideas for robot designs."

Jake Weiss, the team’s lead driver, is excited to be able to “represent Clifton and all of Monrovia.” He “cannot wait to compete internationally.”

The deadline for this is fast approaching, so please help as quickly as possible.

The Robotics Team consists of (picture from left to right) Angela Luiten, Farrah Ninneman Sawyer, Daniel Elliott, Jake Weiss,  Gregory Seright, Aidan McKelvey, and Grant Dickinson.