The C++ Hawks have launched a new robotics club at Sussex Academy and are set to compete in this year’s First Tech Challenge.

“The students voted on the club name,” said advisor/teacher Brian Micciche. “It’s robot/programmer humor. They’re the ones running the show here; I just help them find the right direction.”

Comprising students from middle school through high school, the team has learned to build and code from scratch in just a few weeks, Micciche said.

A $1,250 grant from the school’s Soaring Higher fundraiser jump-started operations for the team, which also received grant funding through the Mid Atlantic Robotics grant to purchase field components, a base kit and electronics.

Competition starts in November, with qualifying teams chosen in December. Local competitions culminate at the FTC Delaware State Championship; award and competition winners from this event will have the honor of representing Delaware at the FTC World Championship in Houston, Texas at the end of April.

In this year’s environmentally themed BioBuzz challenge from FIRST Robotics, teams must create robots that can collect and launch pollen and nectar into areas referred to as hives or flowers.

📷 : Members of the newly formed Sussex Academy C++ Hawks robotics team are ready to host the FTC Delaware State Championship on Feb. 27, 2027. Gathered are (l-r) Neil Shenoy, Arjun Verma, Jonathan Zacariaz-Barrera, Anastasia Lynn, Clark Burress, Kathryn Wilson, Joseph Micciche, Brian Micciche, Jaxson Taulbee, Alex De La Rosa, Dylan Navarrete-Lopez, Burton Hagen, Kenton Legg, Max Dadukov, Dalila Lopez-Perez and Mia Benito.