MASTERING MACHINES

Thompson Falls High School students Jeremy Fausett (above from left), Oliver Owusu-Brafi and Carter Marquardt traveled to the Montana State University campus in Bozeman earlier this month for the state robotics competition. The team was randomly paired with another team for the qualifying round in which two-team alliances compete against each other in five matches. The goal is to outscore the opposing alliance by completing various tasks, said robotics advisor Eric Nygaard. This year's challenge involved stacking plastic hexagons called "pixels" on a slanted backdrop while navigating obstacles. At the end of the qualifying round, Thompson Falls ranked No. 8 of 25 teams. Twelve teams advanced to the final round. "Overall, it was a good showing by a small team of three. Most teams have six or more members," Nygaard noted. "It's always a good learning experience for the team to see what other successful teams are doing and look forward to taking those lessons into next year's challenge."