It has been a whirlwind competitive season for the Ravenscroft Techno Tigers Robotics

Team, marked by innovation, resilience, and a historic victory at the qualifying tournament in Greenville, N.C. After countless hours of after-school and weekend practices, and the forced rescheduling of competition due to inclement weather, the team was selected as one of only two teams from the Greenville competition to advance to the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) State Championship in Greensboro, at N.C. A&T University.

“I am so proud of the resilience and commitment of this young team,” said Coach Dr. Deborah Posner. “Their hard work has paid off; any adversity they’ve faced, they have worked together to make adjustments and support each other along the way.” 

At the state championship competition, the Techno Tigers placed third, landing them an eighth-place ranking in North Carolina out of nearly 150 teams. The Ravenscroft team was one of 13 teams in the state selected to compete in a premier FTC event. 

During the qualifying event in Greenville, the team faced unexpected challenges, including last-minute repairs and an entire intake redesign performed on the fly. Despite these setbacks – and even an incident where a controller was hacked during a scrimmage – the team not only persevered, but they also walked away with three prestigious awards. 

The team’s strategic climb through the rankings led to a pivotal alliance with Rex Robotics from Cary, N.C., securing a spot in the semi-finals. The tournament concluded with a dramatic win in the final match, earning the team the Winning Alliance Award and a ticket to the state competition. This marks the first time in three years that the school has reached this elite level of competition.

Team Captain Law Morano ’28 said he pitched the alliance to the Rex Robotics team by highlighting the autonomous capabilities of the Ravenscroft robot. “I showed them that our autonomous [functionality] ranked 400th in the world out of 21,000 teams,” Morano said. “They ended up choosing us and together we were able to maneuver through the rest of the competition without really any issues.”

Posner noted the team’s three awards – the Design Award, and Winning Alliance, and the  Control Award, which was one by the Roaring Abyss team from Ravenscroft – demonstrated the high level of innovation, design, and engineering achieved this season. “In addition to our students’ high-level technical achievements, judges have been extremely impressed with our team’s commitment to community service and outreach activities, and for demonstrating outstanding leadership and professionalism at all times,” Posner said.

In addition to conducting demonstrations for Lower School students and showcasing their work at student club fairs, members of the team have also volunteered at The Cypress of Raleigh – Senior Living Community, assisting residents with technology questions and support. 

Individual excellence was also a highlight of the season. Morano ’28 was named a finalist for the Dean’s List Award. Morano was recognized for his exceptional leadership, demonstrating calm under pressure while making critical repairs with seconds to spare and showcasing top-notch negotiation skills to forge key alliances.

Morano’s leadership was on full display at a practice ahead of the state championship competition. He confidently responded to questions from his coaches and proudly observed and supported his teammates as they performed their portions of the team’s presentation. 

The program’s success is built on a strong foundation, starting in middle school. Coach Melissa Spainhour has been instrumental in providing students with their early training in Lego Robotics and the engineering design process, and she continues to assist with coaching the Upper School teams. The dedication of the students is matched by their families, who supported them through long practices and traveled during winter break and on Valentine's Day to cheer the team on.

Details about the team’s next competition will be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, they are continuing to practice and refine their robot. They are also busy making plans for next year, including the hope of creating an all-girls team. 

Join us in celebrating the accomplishments of this team and Ravenscroft’s Innovation, Design, and Engineering Department. 

Techno Tigers Team Roster:

Law Morano ’28 – Team Captain

Henry Brock ’30

Eva Chandel ’28

Harrison Burgess ’28 

Nanaki Kainth ’28

Siena Duncan ’29 

Aryan Gupta ’29 

Reyna Williams ’28 

Ryan Cleaver ’27

Camden Somers ’27

Rainy Ye ’27

Dr. Deborah Posner – Head Coach

Melissa Spainhour – Assistant Coach

Roaring Abyss Team Roster:

Tom Maekawa ’27 – Team Lead

Trey Messier ’27

Riko Maekawa ’28

Alfie Zeng ’29

Richard Pan ’28

Dr. Deborah Posner – Head Coach

Melissa Spainhour – Assistant Coach