UPDATE: On Thursday, April 26, SeaPerch Coach Diane Rodriguez paid a visit to the Greene County Foundation to inquire about a possible donation to the SeaPerch team. After hearing about the achievements of the team, the Greene County Foundation informed Rodriguez they will match all funds received in donations by the public, up to $3,000.
"There are really no words to express just how grateful our team is for the support of so many," said Rodriguez. "Now with the remarkable dollar matching grant from the Foundation, every donated dollar turns into two. I feel like we really have a shot to get to Massachusetts."
Donations may be sent to: Bloomfield Jr./Sr. High School c/o SeaPerch 501 W. Spring St. p.o. box 266 Bloomfield IN 47424.
In a recent regional competition held at North Daviess High School, two Bloomfield School District academic teams fared very well, and will advance to the next level, the 8th International SeaPerch Challenge to be held at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth June 1-3.
SeaPerch, according to seaperch.org, is “an innovative underwater robotics program that equips teachers and students with the resources they need to build an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV).”
In competition, students design and build their own robot, including frame, motors and controllers and then operate the robots to compete for the fastest time in two main challenges, an obstacle course and a challenge course.
In the obstacle course, the team’s robot must twist and turn through five consecutive tilted hoops, break the surface of the water and return by the same path. The challenge course requires the robot to move three blocks, three pipes and three rings from one platform to another platform 10 feet away.
At the North Daviess Regional, a team called “The -ley Maries”, made up of Bloomfield eighth-graders Kinley Moody and Ansley Ross won both the challenge and the obstacle courses in the Open Division.
In the Middle School Division, eighth-graders Harley Chipman and Rachel Rooksberry, the “Water Dragons”, won first place in both courses, a team called “Dynamic, Juicy & Quick”, made up of Bloomfield seventh-graders Jaden Thomas and Daniel Lauderdale and Bloomfield sixth-grader Quentin Ross, received second place in both the challenge and obstacle courses.
Nearly 100 Indiana teams compete in the regional events, and only six teams are chosen to advance to the International Challenge: one team for Overall Open Class; the three top teams in the Junior High Division and the two top teams in the High School Division.
Two of the Bloomfield teams claimed two of the six spots, The -ley Maries in the Open Division and The Water Dragons for their Middle School Division wins. The third team, Dynamic, Juicy & Quick, did not advance, but placed sixth out of all of the teams in the state.
All seven Bloomfield students, with SeaPerch coach Diane Rodriguez and two other SeaPerch sponsors, plan to travel to Massachusetts in June for the International Challenge and are currently raising funds in order to make the trip.
The cost to register is $80 per student or chaperone and $200 per robot. On-campus lodging is $155 per person and the cost of the flight to Boston will run approximately $400-$500 per person. The group estimates that roughly $8,000 is needed in order to attend the competition and represent Bloomfield, Greene County and the state of Indiana.
“Although we could cut costs by only sending the qualifying students, we refuse to do that,” said Faculty Sponsor Diane Rodriguez. “We are a team. We have been a team, from soldering to spray-painting, from bus rides to buoyancy, from losing loved ones to unexpected success, together we are Bloomfield SeaPerch. For that reason, we are doubling our efforts and doing everything we possibly can, seeking donations and planning fundraisers, to raise enough to take the whole team. I hope people will consider a donation and will pray for us as we go about this journey.”
The team has created a GoFundMe account to raise funds, which can be found at www.gofundme.com/seaperch-nationals, and residents who are able to donate may send their donations through the mail to Bloomfield Jr./Sr. High School c/o SeaPerch 501 W. Spring St. p.o. box 266 Bloomfield IN 47424.
“It’s been a difficult year,” said Bloomfield Principal David Dean. “We are so proud of the SeaPerch team’s achievements. They have put so much effort and hard work and they are so deserving.”
On Monday, April 23, the group received a donation of $100 from Greene County General Hospital, presented by GCGH Director of Marketing Stacy Burris.
“GCGH takes pride in investing in our students,” said GCGH CEO Brenda Reetz. “We are excited for the Bloomfield SeaPerch team and congratulate them on their amazing accomplishment. GCGH has a vested interest in cultivating programs like this one, because technology is at the forefront of everything we do.”
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