ACS Phoenix at the FIRST Robotics Competition 2024

Dear Community, 

I am thrilled to share with you the exciting journey our robotics team recently embarked on at the FIRST Robotics Competition - Bosphorus Regional, held in Istanbul from March 8th to 11th, 2024. This year's theme, "Crescendo - Lights, Camera, STEAM!" celebrated the fusion of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math in robotics, inspiring big ideas, bold actions, and creativity.

Throughout the build season, the team received support in various ways, ranging from mechanics to the programming of the robot, from our incredible community and our sponsors COMET Electronics, SimLogic, CNsys, TESY, Logisoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and ZekEng. From grandparents to parents, the entire community came together and provided assistance.

Our team, participating in the FRC, showcased incredible development and improvements throughout the competition. Despite facing challenges, such as a damaged motor towards the end of the second day, our dedicated team efficiently replaced it in record time, demonstrating resilience and adaptability.

I am proud to announce that we achieved the 25th ranking in the end out of 51 international (from China, India, Taiwan, Australia, Turkey) teams, marking a significant leap from our previous standings. This progress is particularly noteworthy considering our lower ranking in the first competition last year. At the end of the second day, we had even risen to an impressive 14th place, reflecting the dedication and hard work put in by our students.

A key highlight of our experience was the collaboration with other teams. Our commitment to teamwork and cooperation was truly remarkable, creating a positive and supportive atmosphere that resonated throughout the competition.

I want to express our heartfelt gratitude to our mentors, James Beasley, Vesselina Tepeshanova and Martin Borisov for their unwavering support and guidance. Additionally, I extend sincere appreciation to each student who participated in the event, contributing to our collective success:

Alexander Arabajiev
Alexandra Kobakova
Anna-Maria Alexandrova
Atanas Mladenov
Danail Genov
Dimityr Samokovski
Elia Spasova
Eren Aksoy
Georgi Stoychev
Iva Andreva
Joana Hristanova
Kaloyan Dimitrov
Kaloyan Slavkov
Mario Berov
Meriem Fereva
Momchil Kolev
Octavian Vatzov
Philip Arnaudov
Sofia Ilcheva
Simeon Genov
Strahil Hristov
Valentina Ilieva
Victor Ivanov

Thank you for your continuous support. We are excited about the growth and achievements of our robotics team and look forward to sharing more success stories in the future. 

Gratefully,

Eda Yavuz, Computer Science Teacher

p.s. Here a video with highlights of the event. Follow our Instagram account @acsphoenix9089 for more information and updates.