Posted on 05/05/2019 7:59:45 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
FARMINGTON, Minn. — Farmington High School’s Rogue Robotics team is on a roll.
The media buzz from the team’s Project Cillian — they built a modified wheelchair for a Farmington boy with a disability — grew so loud it reached the White House.
Earlier this week, coach Spencer Elvebak got a call from aides organizing first lady Melania Trump’s “Be Best” event, asking if he could come to Washington on Tuesday, May 7, to be recognized for the project.
Elvebak was floored.
“The kids are all ecstatic about it,” he said.
“I cried,” said Cami Schachtele, 17, who builds field elements for the team’s robot competition. “It’s been a running joke with the team saying, ‘What if we get invited to the White House?’ When they told us we were, it was the most surreal thing.”
Equally stunned is Kynde Zachow-Archibald, 39, of Burnsville. Just four weeks ago she and husband Jeremy Archibald were trying to patch together a wheelchair from a store-bought Power Wheels toy that would allow her 5-year-old son Rocco Zachow-Rodriguez to play in the backyard with his siblings. Rocco was born with a form of dwarfism called Diastrophic dysplasia, a bone and cartilage disorder.
(Excerpt) Read more at duluthnewstribune.com ...
Very nice story.
Congrats to the team and to Rocco. Great story!
Great story. Melania and DJT know who counts. The little people count too. Finally, class in the White House. MAGA
I love stories like this. I also love that we live in a time with 3D printers and such that bring down the cost of developing machines that would not be economical otherwise.
Great story about smart kids doing good things for others!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwCL0BEUXjs
He seems to have no problem driving the thing.
A great project, well done.
Thanks for this feel good story, 2DV.
Great video! Nice story to wake up to.
My son was on a FIRST Robotics team in high school and I helped coach. The teammate encouraged to reach out and do good with their skills. This is above and beyond. I’m glad the President and First Lady are honoring them.
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