LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION congratulating the members of the Sewanhaka
Senior Robotics Club on being named Finalists in the FIRST Tech Chal-
lenge Championship in New York City on March 12, 2011

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor the youth of
today, and leaders of tomorrow, whose character and achievements exem-
plify the ideals and values cherished by this great State and nation;
and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and fully in accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to recognize
and commend the members of the Sewanhaka Senior Robotics Club on being
named Finalists in the FIRST Tech Challenge Championship held at the
Jacob Javits Center in New York City on March 12, 2011; and
WHEREAS, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Tech-
nology) is a multinational non-profit organization dedicated to trans-
forming culture, making science, math, engineering, and technology as
appealing to young people as sports are; and
WHEREAS, Founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway Human
Transporter, FIRST operates several competitions, including the FIRST
Tech Challenge Championship, in which teams of high school students,
sponsored and assisted by local companies and volunteers, design, assem-
ble, and test a robot capable of performing a specified task on a 12 x
12 field in matches lasting about 3 minutes each in competition with
other teams; and
WHEREAS, In addition to encouraging professionalism and sportsmanship,
the FIRST Tech Challenge Championship shows students that the technolog-
ical fields hold many opportunities and that the basic concepts of
science, math, engineering, and invention are both exciting and inter-
esting; and
WHEREAS, Sewanhaka Senior Robotics Club members Fahad Rajput of H.
Frank Carey Junior Senior High School and Joslin Kurian, Michael Ho,
Robert Myrick, Daniel Myrick, Saud Ahmad, Kamal James, Chris Rothwell
and Jesus Duque of Sewanhaka High School, ably led by their Advisor, Mr.
Chen, participated in the FIRST Tech Challenge Championship on March 12,
2011, along with 59 other teams from the Tri-State area; and
WHEREAS, The Sewanhaka Senior Robotics Club, currently in its second
year of competition, is open to students in grades 10, 11 or 12 from the
five high schools in the Sewanhaka Central High School District; and
WHEREAS, Achieving Finalist status proves the Sewanhaka Senior Robot-
ics Club members to be an outstanding combination of talents, reflecting
favorably on their schools and communities; and
WHEREAS, The Sewanhaka Senior Robotics Club members have clearly made
a contribution to the spirit of excellence which is a tradition of their
schools; this Legislative Body is pleased to honor these young students,
recognizing the value of their labors and the promise of their futures;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
congratulate the Sewanhaka Senior Robotics Club members on being named
Finalists in the FIRST Tech Challenge Championship in New York City on
March 12, 2011; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the members of the Sewanhaka Senior Robotics Club and to
their Advisor, Mr. Chen.