On Tuesday, Yeshivat He’Atid opened up its brand-new gym to Moriah and Yavneh for one last robotics competition of the school year, since they enjoyed their time in competitions so much during the 2024-’25 school year. He’Atid Robotics Coach Jenny Goldstein worked with Moriah Coach Sandra Knoll and Yavneh Coach Gilit Herman to make it all happen. The three schools together had about 60 students participate in the competition.
Middle school robotics clubs have grown in popularity over the past few years, mainly due to the support and encouragement of CIJE (Coalition for Initiatives in Jewish Education), which provides teacher funding and equipment in yeshiva day schools, and hosts two competitions each year. CIJE was founded in 2001 to enhance and enrich the quality of Jewish education throughout the United States. CIJE brings hands-on STEAM learning to more than 200 Jewish day schools and yeshivot across 18 states, impacting thousands of students annually.
The final official competition of the year was held at The Armory in Washington Heights in late March, and featured 140 teams which competed in many heats over the course of the day, followed by playoffs and the naming of top three winners, at both the middle school and high school levels.
The robots used this past Tuesday were primarily those that had already performed well in the CIJE competitions. The goal of each robot at the middle school level was to shoot baskets in one of two sets of hoops. The primary objectives of the game were to pass the balls between robots, score balls through targets, and clear switches. Balls were introduced to the field through the loading station or, during the last 15 seconds of a match, a rapid load zone. Points were awarded based on (1) how many goals were scored, (2) how many switches had been cleared, and (3) how many times the alliance (the two robots working together) successfully passed the ball before scoring.
Several fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade classes from He’Atid took the opportunity to view the excitement from the stands, as well as parents and even a few grandparents. And there was even an appearance by Hurricane Harry, Yeshivat He’Atid’s mascot.
