Over 50 proud parents gathered in the Baggot Street Conference Room to watch the robotics team’s ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 3. The ceremony celebrated the opening of the team’s own warehouse in Mercy’s basement, but more so the hard work and dedication of the ladies on the robotics team. The talented team had been setting up the building site in the basement for the past year, and it was finally ready.

The decision to move was brought about when the team’s lead co-mentor, Mr. Dan Riehl, announced that he was moving out of the Articulus building in Farmington. The robotics team had previously used a warehouse located in the same building as their building site. One year later, the storage space across from the E3 classroom has been transformed into an organized building site that features a computer programming lab and ample space to test out a newly built robot.

The ceremony kicked off with a few warm words of welcome from President Dr. Cheryl Kreger ‘66. Following her kind words, the team’s second lead co-mentor, Mr. David Gaines, explained the mission of the robotics team. Student leader Annika Jane, who served as the project manager for the 2016 building season, explained the importance of women in STEM.

“There is a huge gap between the number of men and the number of women in STEM,” Jane said as she addressed the crowd of proud parents. “It’s so important that we start getting girls involved at an early age.”

After a short tour, the robotics team and the mentors gathered in the new building site to celebrate the grand opening of the new robotics’ headquarters. Looks of pride and applause filled the room as the polka-dotted ribbon was cut.

“Today made me realize how proud I am and how excited I am to be a part of such an innovative and exciting organization,” Jane said. “Hopefully we see more involvement now that we are located in Mercy.”