The Merrimack High School FIRST Robotics Competition team, Chop Shop 166, is headed to Houston Texas to compete in the FIRST Championship! This is an amazing opportunity for the students to be able to compete on the world stage and to meet teams from around the world.

We need your help to get there!

The trip will cost us tens of thousands of dollars for airfare, hotels, transportation, and food for all 18 team members. Every dollar raised in this campaign will go to lowering the overall cost of the trip for all of the team members.

A little more about Chop Shop 166

Chop Shop is a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team, based out of Merrimack High School in Merrimack, NH. The team consists of 18 students and 11 volunteer mentors. Our mission is to "To create a well-built team which empowers future leaders through innovation, education and fun."

Every January, FIRST unveils the game for the season. Teams then have 6 weeks to design, build, and program their robots. Then teams can compete in various local events over the next 6 weeks before heading to a regional or district championship and potentially on to the FIRST Championship in Houston TX.

Last year, Chop Shop competed in the FIRST Championship where we won our divison!

Outside of the competition season, Chop Shop works to spread the positive message of FIRST Robotics and STEM education throughout the community. We host multiple educational events and learning sessions. We run multiple FIRST competitions, host community clean-ups, conduct many robotics demonstrations and volunteer with other organizations in our area. This year, we have added a special focus on increasing girls in STEM through our FIRST Like a Girl initiative.

(Matt Murray is one of the mentors on Chop Shop 166, and is a member of the Merrimack Community Robotics Boosters, the 501 (c) 3 that supports Chop Shop)