2024 - CRESCENDO

This year the team was led by a 10-member leadership team and co-Captains Anisha Shukla and Vinati Pillutla. After moving into the new Robotics lab in the Plummer house just before Kickoff, we got busy designing, fabbing, programming and testing our new robot, Apollo. At our first event at Sacramento Regional, we played well and ended quals ranked 18th out of 38 teams. We were chosen by the 7th seeded alliance captained by Team 3598 - SEStematic Eliminators, with Team 5274 - Wolverine Robotics and played in the a few playoff matches. At Monterey Bay Regional, the team was ranked 8th after quals and became the captain of the 5th seeded alliance. We chose Team 5700 - SOTA Cyberdragons and Team 3257 - Vortechs to play with us in the playoffs. In several exciting matches, we fought our way past the 8th, 5th, 4th and 2nd seeded alliances up to Round 5, match 13, where we lost to the 3rd seeded alliance, just missing the Finals. Junior Rishika Bajaj was our Dean's List semi-finalist and we won the Quality Award.

Robot Name: Apollo

2023 - CHARGED UP

With a 9 student leadership team led by co-Captains Anisha Shukla and Vinati Pillutla, the team jumped into building our new robot, Slink. At Central Valley Regional in Fresno, although we got a slow start, we improved with each match. We were selected by the 2nd seeded alliance, captained by Team 8048 - Churobots, with Team 5940 - BREAD. In the double elimination Playoffs, we played hard and made it to Round 4, Match 12. We won the Team Sustainability Award which celebrates the team that has developed a sustainable program. The team nominated Anisha and Vinati for the Dean's List Award, and Anisha was selected as a Dean's List Finalist! At the Monterey Bay Regional, we were picked by the 6th seeded alliance captain, Team 5026 - Iron Panthers, along with Team 670 - Homestead Robotics. The alliance worked well together, playing some very exciting matches to Round 5, Match 13, losing to the 2nd seed and narrowly missing the Finals.

During the off-season, the team competed at Capital City Classic and MadTown Throwdown. At CCC, the team ended quals in 15th place out of 46 robots. We were chosen to be on the 1st seeded alliance for the playoffs, captained by Team 5940 - BREAD, with Team 1678 - Citrus Circuits and Team 5458 - Digital Minds. Our alliance was undefeated to become CCC Winner! At MadTown Throwdown in Madera, CA, the team ended quals in 19th place out of 50 teams. We were picked for the 2nd seeded alliance by alliance captain Team 1678 - Citrus Circuits with Team 5940 - BREAD and Team 841 - The BioMechs. Our alliance went undefeated to become Winners!

Robot Name: Slink

2022 - RAPID REACT

The team worked hard to design and build our robot, Festus. We also added a new web-app to easily access and analyze the data collected using the Android scouting app. We had some success at the two regionals we attended in March. At the Ventura County Regional, we finished Quals in 4th place, and were the 3rd seeded alliance captain in the playoffs, choosing Team 3512 - Spartatroniks and Team 2637 - Phantom Catz for our alliance partners. We pushed to defeat the 2nd seeded alliance to make it into the finals, finishing as regional Finalists! The team was also awarded the Industrial Design Award. Plus we qualified to attend the FRC Championship in Houston in mid-April!

At the Monterey Bay Regional, we were ranked 6th after Quals, and were picked by the 2nd seeded alliance captain, Team 5104 - Breaker Bots, along with Team 7528 - Nuts and Bolts. We fought to make it into the finals to play against the 2 top ranked teams, and again finished as Finalists. The team worked hard, gained more good competition experience, and really had fun.

The team took 18 students to Houston to compete at the FRC World Championships in April, playing in the Hopper division. We overcame some climber issues and had some strong matches, finishing Quals in 44th place out of 75 teams. We learned so much, met people from all over the world, and had so much fun!

During the off-season, the team competed at Capital City Classic and MadTown Throwdown. At CCC, the team ended quals in 4th place, winning nine out of ten matches. We captained the 3rd seeded alliance, choosing Team 5817 - Uni-Rex, Team 5700 - SOTA Cyberdragons, and Team 6918 - Napa Cellar Rats, and made it to the semifinals. We won the Excellence in Engineering Award! At MadTown Throwdown in Madera, CA, the team ended quals in 11th place out of 46 teams. We were picked by Team 5104 - BreakerBots, the captain of the 7th seeded alliance, and played alongside Team 5817 - Uni-Rex and Team 3859 - Wolfpack Robotics.

Robot Name: Festus

Fall 2021 - INFINITE RECHARGE (reprised)

Back in-person once again! To get some robot building experience, we designed and built a new robot, Grogu, for off-season competition. The team competed at CalGames and Chezy Champs, our first competitions in over 2 years! We used the new Android scouting app that was developed when we met remotely, which automatically transferred the gathered match robot data to a spreadsheet that the team used to help devise match strategy, and to create a pick-list for Alliance Selection. At CalGames, we finished Quals ranked in 1st place! As captain of the 1st seeded alliance, we chose Team 1868 - Space Cookies and Team 6059 - System Overload Robotics, which was later replaced due to mechanical issues with Team 840 - Aragon Robotics. We were undefeated in the Elimination Round to become event Winners! We also won the System Design Award. At Chezy Champs, we were picked by the 7th seeded alliance, captained by Team 3476 - Code Orange (from Irvine, CA), with Team 6328 - Mechanical Advantage (from Littleton, MA) and Team 115 - MVRT (from Cupertino, CA). The alliance played in the quarterfinals.

Robot Name: Grogu

2020-2021

This school year was entirely remote due to the COVID19 lockdown, but the team kept busy, meeting on Zoom. The leadership team, led by co-Captains Jadelynn Dao and Isabella Correa, led work on several projects that kept us involved in robotics and kept us connected. These projects will benefit the team for years to come, such as a new T-shirt shooting robot, a superpit, new driver station console, and software improvements. The team gained 11 new members in the fall, bringing our team total membership to 40. As a way to give these new members some of the hands-on, competitive experiences that are normally available when on site, the team kicked off a VexIQ-based robot challenge called The Presentation Cup. Every 3-4 weeks a new mini-game challenge was designed by 4 veteran team members. For each game, each student built their robot to address that particular challenge, then submitted a video of the robot completing the game for judging. There were 4 total challenges held from January through March. The students collaborated together in twice-weekly Zoom meetings as they prepared their robots for the challenges, asking questions and helping each other work through issues. In May, they were able to hold an in-person tournament where 7 students competed with their VexIQ robots.

The veteran subteam members worked in earnest to complete the new T-shirt shooter and superpit, start an off-season robot, and get the robot software running in desktop simulation mode. The simulation work was incredibly useful in allowing software development to continue remotely while demonstrating that it worked correctly while following an arbitrary field path. The team is well prepared to start building all of these new projects as the shop re-opens. In addition, the team nominated juniors Christine Yang and Shweta Arun for the Dean's List Award, and Shweta advanced to become a Dean’s List Finalist!

2020 - INFINITE RECHARGE

With the new year, the team size grew to 64 members, and the leadership team grew to 14 members. This growth allowed for deeper development of subteams, with the Mechanical Design subteam and the Control Systems and Programming subteam both growing to 9 students each. For the 2020 Star Wars-themed challenge, Infinite Recharge, the team designed, manufactured, assembled and programmed their new robot, Mandi, named for the Star Wars Mandalorian. The team planned to compete at both Central Valley and Monterey Bay Regionals. Unfortunately the Coronavirus lock-down interrupted those plans, and the events were cancelled.

Robot Name: Mandi

2019 - DESTINATION: DEEP SPACE

The leadership team grew to 12 students to accommodate the continuing increase in team membership, now up to 55 students. Led by co-Captains Anjali Sinha and Samantha Yang, the leadership team worked hard to keep the team organized and focused to build their new robot, Nebula, for the Deep Space game. At Central Valley Regional in Fresno, CA, the team was chosen as first pick by the 6th seeded alliance, Team 5461 - V.E.R.N., with Team 766 - M.A. Bears, and played through the quarter-finals. The team also earned the Spirit Award! At Silicon Valley Regional in San Jose, CA, the team achieved a rank of 24 out of 59 teams. Additionally, Safety Captain Neha Rachapudi (Class of 2021) was named Safety Star of the Day by Underwriters Laboratories at both competitions!

During the off-season, the team competed at Capital City Classic and MadTown Throwdown. At CCC, the team gained valuable experience in competition roles and also attended workshops. At MadTown Throwdown in Madera, CA, the team, bringing both Nebula and practice robot Bebula, persevered through mechanical and connectivity issues, and ultimately reached the playoffs. Team 1662 - Raptor Force Engineering chose Nebula, along with Team 254B - The Cheesy Poofs and Team 5104B - BreakerBots, to be on the 5th seeded alliance. The alliance played through the quarter-finals.

Robot Name: Nebula

2018 - POWER UP

The team nearly doubled in size for the 2018 season, to 51 students. The team leaders Alyssa Ungerer (Class of 2018), Arshia Sharma (Class of 2018), Anjali Sinha (Class of 2019), and Samantha Yang (Class of 2019) developed more organized training to accommodate the increase. They worked hard to successfully keep the team moving forward and staying on track throughout the year. They built our new robot, Felix, for the Power Up game. Twentyfour team members traveled to Flagstaff, AZ for the Arizona North Regional in March. The team nominated 2 members for the Dean’s List Award: Anjali Sinha and Samantha Yang. Anjali was selected as a Dean's List Finalist! Then they competed at Silicon Valley Regional in San Jose, CA, where the team ranked 13th at the end of the Qualification Round. They were chosen to be on the 3rd seeded alliance with Team 6418 - The Missfits and Team 8 - Paly Robotics, and played through the semi-finals. In April, we took our Dean’s List Finaist and a few other members to the FIRST FRC World Championships in Houston, where they volunteered, helping in various areas, including helping to build the Einstein field. They also were able to attend several workshops and the Volunteer Dinner, featuring Woodie Flowers as speaker.

In the fall, the team brought Felix to compete at Capital City Classic, where team members attended seminars and gained competition experience, reaching the semi-finals. Then the team brought Felix and our practice robot, Belix, to compete at MadTown Throwdown in Madera. Belix played through the quarter-finals, and Felix through the semi-finals.

Robot Name: Felix

2017 - STEAMWORKS

The 2017 season was a very successful year for Team 2135! Led by a leadership team consisting of Arshia Sharma (Class of 2018), Alyssa Ungerer (Class of 2018), Anjali Sinha (Class of 2019), and Samantha Yang (Class of 2019), the team of 30 students worked hard to analyze game strategy, design, and build our robot for the Steamworks games. The robot was named Crush, after the turtle in Finding Nemo. We competed at Central Valley Regional where we were selected to be part of the 2nd seeded alliance with Team 1678 - Citrus Circuits and Team 1323 - MadTown Robotics. Together we worked hard and won the regional event. Later, at Silicon Valley Regional, Team 2135 continued to perform well and was a finalist for the Safety Award. As the Regional Winners at CVR, we qualified for the FIRST World Championships in Houston, Texas. In April, the team took a group of twenty students to the FRC Houston Championship where we competed in the Galileo Division. This was a tremendous opportunity to compete at the Championship, attend workshops, and meet teams from around the world.

The team competed at 3 off-season competitions in the fall, using the Steamworks robot, Crush. At Chezy Champs, the team finished with a ranking of 17th. They were chosen by the 5th seeded alliance, captained by Team 973 - Greybots, with Team 1538 - The Holy Cows, and Team 604 - Quixilver and competed through an exciting 3rd match in the semi-finals. At Capital City Classic, the focus was on gaining experience in new roles; the team competed with a rookie drive team and other lead positions. At MadTown ThrowDown, the team ran two robots, Crush and the practice robot, Brush. Both robots were chosen to play in the Elimination Round, with Crush playing through the semi-finals.

Robot Name: Crush

2016 - STRONGHOLD

The 2016 season was intense and exciting and marked Team 2135’s 10th season. Co-presidents Liana Rix (Class of 2016) and Chris Dhayanand (Class of 2016) led the team of roughly thirty students. With their robot named Maximus the Stronghold (Max), the team competed at Central Valley Regional and was chosen for the 2nd seeded alliance by Team 5137 - Iron Kodiaks and Team 973 - GreyBots, playing in the semi-finals. The team also competed at the Silicon Valley Regional, and even after breaking the intake arm twice, they were able to pull all their knowledge and resources together to repair and fix it in time for the following matches.

Off-season competitions were equally as exciting. At Chezy Champs, Team 2135 was selected by the first-seeded alliance and joined with Team 1678 - Citrus Circuits, Team 971 - Spartan Robotics, and Team 604 - Quixilver. Together, we played some intense matches and ended up victorious as the Chezy Champions! At MadTown Throwdown, we competed with Max and Baymax. Max was the 8th seeded alliance captain, and Baymax was chosen for the 3rd seeded alliance. Both went to quarter-finals, and Baymax advanced to the semi-finals. Team 2135 also won the WOW Factor Award for simple, elegant, and efficient design.

Robot Name: Max (Maximus the Stronghold)

2015 - RECYCLE RUSH

The 2015 season was played with Team 2135’s robot named Archie and was led by co-presidents April Mullins (Class of 2015) and Neha Tibrewal (Class of 2015). Competing at the Sacramento Regional, SVR, and at the off-season Chezy Champs Competition, the team worked hard and gained much experience. At the off-season MadTown Throwdown competition, playing the 2014 game Aerial Assist with Atlas and Batlas, the team did very well. Atlas was the 5th seeded alliance captain with Team 973C - GreyBots and Team 5817 - Uni-Rex. Batlas was chosen for the 6th seeded alliance by Team 3482 - Westmont HS Arrowbotics and Team 604 - Quixilver. Both were quarter-finalists, and Team 2135 won the Gracious Professionalism Award.

Robot Name: Archie

2014 - AERIAL ASSIST

The 2014 season was a remarkable year for Team 2135. Led by Kiruthika Shanmugam (Class of 2014), the team had 18 members. After working hard on robot Atlas, the team attended Central Valley Regional. There, Team 2135 was chosen for the 1st seeded alliance by Team 254 - Bellarmine Cheesy Poofs and Team 973 - Atascadero HS GreyBots and won in the finals. Later at Silicon Valley Regional, the team was chosen by the 4th seeded alliance, Team 1323 - MadTown Robotics and Team 846 - Lynbrook HS Funky Monkeys, and together they were semi-finalists. Having won at CVR, Team 2135 competed at the FIRST World Championships in St. Louis, Missouri, in the Galileo Division. During off-season, the team competed at Chezy Champs and was chosen by the 2nd seeded alliance: Team 846 - Funky Monkeys and Team 971 - Mountain View HS Spartan Robotics. They were finalists. At MadTown Throwdown, the team’s two robots, Atlas and Batlas, were both Alliance Captains. Atlas was the 4th seeded alliance captain with Team 1323 - MadTown Robotics and Team 971B - Spartan Robotics. Batlas was the 7th seeded alliance captain, with Team 1422 - The Neon Knights and Team 3970 - Duncan Dynamics. Both played in the quarter-finals, and the team won the Spirit Award.

Robot Name: Atlas

2013 - ULTIMATE ASCENT

The 2013 season was focused on building, testing, and competing with Team 2135’s robot named Steve Rogers. Co-presidents Jennifer Early (Class of 2013), Gabriella Pastera (Class of 2013), and Emily Mullins (Class of 2013) all helped drive the team forward. The team competed at Central Valley Regional (CVR) and was chosen for the 3rd seeded alliance by Team 1458 - Red Tie Robotics and Team 1671 - Buchanan Bird Brains. They were quarter-finalists. Team 2135 also competed at SVR and then at MadTown Throwdown during the off-season. There, they were chosen by the 6th seeded alliance, Team 2813 - Prospect HS Gear Heads and Team 604 - Leland HS Quixilver, and were again quarter-finalists.

Robot Name: Steve (Steve Rogers)

2012 - REBOUND RUMBLE

Led by Jennifer Early (Class of 2013), Gabriella Pastera (Class of 2013), and Emily Mullins (Class of 2013), Team 2135 built their robot Moe and attended the Sacramento Regional, Silicon Valley Regional, and then MadTown Throwdown during the off-season. At the Sacramento Regional, Team 2135 was Rank 6 and Alliance Captain for the 4th seeded Alliance. At SVR, the team worked hard and gained much experience. Later at MadTown, they were on the 6th seeded alliance.

Robot Name: Mo (M-O from Wall-E)

2011 - LOGOMOTION

Led by Mary Gatesy (Class of 2011), Team 2135 competed at Silicon Valley Regional and then MadTown Throwdown in the fall. At the off-season competition, MadTown Throwdown, the team was chosen for the 4th seeded alliance by Team 968 - Robotics Alliance of West Covina and Team 254B - Bellarmine Cheesy Poofs and played in the semi-finals.

2010 - BREAKAWAY

The 2010 game had proven to be a challenge. Led by Sarah Watanabe (Class of 2010), the team overcame many obstacles during the building of a more complex robot than previous years. During off-season, Team 2135 competed at the MadTown Throwdown in Madera on November 13. The Presentation Robotics Team qualified as a part of the semi-finalist round and placed 9th out of 20. It was a close game with the team only one win away from becoming finalists. It was a fantastic way to end the 2010 season with an even better start to 2011.

2009 - LUNACY

The 2009 season was led by Erin Simpson (Class of 2009). During the season, the team expanded to include twenty-six eager and bright-eyed members. The team made it to CalGames with great enthusiasm, and despite their anxiety and inexperience, was able to place an impressive 12th out of 36 teams. At Silicon Valley Regional, their efforts were shown when they were placed 16th out of 49 competing (and more experienced) teams. In alliance selection, they were chosen to be a part of the 8th seeded alliance.

Robot Name: Skippy

2008 - FIRST OVERDRIVE

After ending the 2007 season on a good note, the team was prepared to make more changes for the 2008 season. With leaders Arielle Virrey (Class of 2008) and Elaine Higashi (Class of 2008) along with many dedicated mentors, the team’s knowledge expanded exponentially. Their skills were put to the test when the software had to be recoded about five weeks into the build cycle. They were forced to start a new software program with SVR rapidly approaching. Fortunately, the team successfully leapt over this barrier and made it to the competition with their robot performing at optimum levels.

2007 - RACK “N” ROLL

In 2007, the robotics club expanded and joined the FIRST Robotics Competition. By this time, the club had transformed into a team consisting of 15 students all of which were dedicated to building a robot. Within the first year of entering the competition, the students’ knowledge and skills grew tremendously considering their lack or original knowledge or prior experience. The students quickly comprehended the mechanics of robot building and the various fields involved in creating it.

Naturally, Team 2135 ran into various obstacles along the way, such as a tight budget, safety of the students, and so forth. Teachers were concerned about students’ safety while building the robot, especially since it took place in the school’s hallways. Presentation’s Robotics Team did not yet have a dedicated working area or many power tools, but they were able to overcome the obstacles and still proved successful during the competition. During 2007, Team 2135 competed in the Silicon Valley Regional (SVR) and Sacramento Regional (Davis). In the Silicon Valley Regional, they received the Highest Rookie Seed Team Award and the team’s website was given the Website Excellence Award. Once the 2007 season ended, Presentation High School purchased a house as an area specifically dedicated for the Robotics Team.

2006

Presentation High School first became interested in robotics in 2006. Two sophomores, Elaine Higashi and Arielle Jeriza Virrey, had developed a strong interest in robotics and wanted to learn more about the field and its mechanics. After approaching Principal Mary Miller and Dr. Howe of the Mathematics and Science Academy at Presentation, the two girls were given two VEX robot kits. With great enthusiasm, Elaine and Arielle gathered a few other interested friends and began assembling the robots. Within a short period of time, they had completed the project and presented it to Ms. Miller and Dr. Howe. Both were very impressed in the girls’ voluntary commitment in building the robots that it was agreed a club would be formed. For the rest of 2006, about 12 girls worked on more VEX kits after school for fun.