[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 41 (Monday, March 2, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1252-S1253]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING THE ALEXANDER ROBOTICS TEAM

 Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, the students on the robotics team 
in the small northwestern North Dakota town of Alexander set a goal at 
the beginning of this school year to win their State competition. Their 
determination and hard work paid off in February, and now the Alexander 
High School FIRST Tech Challenge Team #9963 team is preparing to 
represent North Dakota in the world championship competition.
  FIRST is the acronym for the For Inspiration and Recognition of 
Science and Technology organization, which plans the annual 
competitions between schools. There, the students build and program 
robots to perform challenging tasks and then compete with other teams.
  Robotics competition is growing in popularity in schools because it 
provides an ideal opportunity for young people to apply their knowledge 
of STEM subjects. It also teaches valuable life skills like 
communication, creativity, and collaboration and opens up countless 
doors of opportunity for the future.
  While new to some schools, the Alexander students have participated 
in the North Dakota championship competition for the past 5 years. Each 
year, they have brought home a trophy from one of the categories. For 
this year's competition, these future engineers built and programmed a 
robot they

[[Page S1253]]

nicknamed ``Spiderbot,'' which competed against other robots, doing 
tasks like maneuvering under bridges and stacking blocks on a plate.
  This progressive small town of less than 500 residents is preparing 
its students for 21st century careers by offering robotics as a career 
and technical education course for credit at the school. The success of 
this program is due in large part to the support and encouragement from 
many, including school administrators, teachers, volunteers, and 
parents.
  To the students on the Alexander Robotics Team, their adviser Cathy 
White, and all who support them, I send my congratualations on becoming 
State champions. They are an inspiration to so many with their 
knowledge and passion. North Dakota will be watching as they compete in 
the world championships in Detroit in late April. I have a feeling we 
will be hearing much more from all of them in future careers as 
successful engineers and entrepreneurs.

                          ____________________