Robotics team takes ‘Mr. Krabs’ to competition

    Holyoke JR/SR High School’s robotics team competed with 15 area teams at the BEST Robotics Competition at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling Saturday, Oct. 27. Teams were tasked with making a robot that could pick up pieces of trash and navigate an unstable beam in an ocean clean-up simulation. In the wildcard round where teams competed for eighth place, Holyoke tied for first and then lost the tiebreaker. The top four teams advanced to regionals. Advisor Jimmy French said the Holyoke team improved from last year and did a good job of tackling such a difficult challenge. Holyoke students who competed are pictured from left, front row, Edel Ramos, Tanner Hardesty, Max Kleve (holding the robot nicknamed Mr. Krabs), Jimena Nuñez, Alma Alejandre and Oscar Grandos; and back row, French, Jonathan Quintana, Diego Jimenez, Baylor Struckmeyer and Tristen Ferguson.