A Gracious Professionalism® award and a top four finish was earned by the members of the Somerville High School Highlander Robotics team in Revere last weekend.

By Rebecca Danvers

Somerville High School Highlander Robotics team notched a final four finish at the latest competition, held in Revere last weekend. Somerville was also awarded the Gracious Professionalism^® award in recognition of their outstanding sportsmanship.

This young team is only in its second year and is quickly establishing itself as a top contender. The team claimed a 6th place finish against 40 teams the previous week, where they were also awarded the Creativity Award.

The Gracious Professionalism® Award is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson and recognizes outstanding sportsmanship and continuous gracious professionalism in the heat of competition, both on and off the field of play. To win, a team must exemplify the principles of FIRST – fairness, humility, sharing, and persevering – and a winning attitude.

Their award citation read: “Teams climb the mountain of FIRST, some get there faster than others, some put their hands out to help those behind them. Being a second year team, these Scots know that gracious professionalism is the cornerstone of FIRST. The Gracious Professionalism® Award goes to Team #6201, The Highlanders.”

Despite being a relatively new team, Somerville has positioned itself well for possible qualification for the New England District Championship, which takes place in less than 3 weeks in Durham, NH. NE District Championship qualifying teams will be announced once all Robotics events in the district have been completed. Visit http://thehighlanders6201.weebly.com/ to learn more about the Highlander Robotics team.