Andover Robotics Club Competes at State Championships

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March 17, 2025
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Christina Saad || STAFF WRITER

In past months, each of Andover High School’s Andover Robotics Club (ARC) teams have won or earned an award at their respective qualifiers, securing them a spot in the upcoming FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) state competition.

There are multiple ways to qualify for states. Teams get in by hosting a qualifier, winning the competition on the field, or winning the Inspire Award, which is given at each qualifier to teams who show excellence both in and beyond their robot. The state competition will consist of winners from every qualifier along with winners of the Inspire Award and hosts, so the games will naturally be more competitive.

“This is the first time ever that we’ve had four teams qualify off of merit alone,” said senior and ARC President Aaryan Deshwal.

In the past, teams have qualified through merit as well by hosting competitions, but this is the first time each team—including the new freshmen team Sandstorm—has qualified only by winning or earning an award at their qualifiers.

The Massachusetts State Championship will be held on March 9 at the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. Each team is adjusting and improving their robot before the competition. They’ll be practicing controlling their robot manually, writing a script to present to the judges, and making changes to their robot’s build and code.

At their qualifier on February 8, ARC Sandstorm won both the Winning Alliance Captain and Control Award. The Winning Alliance Captain Award is given to a team if their chosen alliance—two teams that compete together—wins the qualifier. The Control Award is given to the team with the best autonomous system and sensors in the competition.

“This is absolutely incredible, considering that they’re all rookies. It’s their first year and they won the entire competition, so it was a really proud moment for our entire club,” said Deshwal.

At the same qualifier, ARC Thunder won the Inspire Award. The award acknowledges traits like teamwork and collaboration, as well as outreach in the community.

“It’s an award for a team that is hitting home runs beyond just winning the competitions on the mat,” said ARC advisor Stephen Sanborn.

ARC Hailstorm and ARC Lightning both won the Inspire Award at their qualifiers, as well.

Andoverview

EDITORIAL: Where is the Line Between Inspiration and Cheating?

March 30, 2026

At ANDOVERVIEW, we believe academic dishonesty is a notable issue. Students are often scared to ask teachers for help, don’t have time to complete the work, or are simply lazy, so they ask AI to do the work for them.

We do not exclude ourselves from this phenomenon. To our knowledge, ANDOVERVIEW has never allowed AI to change the truths that we report, but we know for certain that there have been drafts put forward by students for publication in the past years that have relied on AI. We acknowledge that the problem with AI usage is schoolwide (in fact, nationwide); now, as part of the student body, we want to raise awareness and help solve this problem.

Cheating causes an uneven playing field between those who use AI or cheat in any way, and those who do their work honestly. Academic dishonesty also hinders teachers’ ability to understand how much their students truly retain what is being taught.

We at ANDOVERVIEW believe that within each class at AHS, teachers need to provide a defined line between what constitutes cheating and learning.

Much of cheating today revolves around AI, and many teachers seem to have a different policy regarding it. Students must figure out which rules apply where. Academic integrity in one classroom may be considered a violation in another. Although a schoolwide policy is existent, it is lengthy while simultaneously being unclear at times. More specificity is necessary within the policy to ensure that coursework isn’t a stressful guessing game for students.

So, what are students to do? At ANDOVERVIEW we believe students who use sources for ideas—not as a replacement for their own work and effort—need a solid line to tell them if what they are doing is considered academic dishonesty. We need a policy, we need a line, and most importantly we need consistency.

Until that consistent line is drawn, students must recognize that if, in their eyes, an action comes anywhere near that blurry boundary, they should stop. Reflect on if it is truly worth it risking your reputation and potentially your future. If not, we urge you to choose a different path. Academic integrity starts with each individual student.

Articles

Steve Zrike Appointed MA Secretary of Education

February 12, 2026

Avery Slaughter || ONLINE EDITOR

Steve Zrike was appointed Massachusetts Secretary of Education by Governor Maura Healey on February 10. He will assume the position on February 13.

Zrike will succeed Patrick Tutwiler in the role. As Secretary of Education, Zrike will oversee the Executive Office of Education, which is responsible for managing pre-elementary, K-12 and higher education across the state.

“My responsibility is to the children of the Commonwealth,” Zrike said. “I just want to make sure that that is clear–that at the end of the day, the job is about improving the student experience in our public institutions across Massachusetts.”

Zrike is currently the superintendent of Salem Public Schools. Previously, he also served as superintendent of both Holyoke and Wakefield. He has held various other positions in school districts across Massachusetts.

“I feel like I’ve had a lot of experiences in a lot of different types of communities,” Zrike said. “I’m going to rely on the different relationships and different experiences I’ve had across all those places. Of course, I have a lot to learn, and I’m excited to get started with better understanding the many different types of education programs that exist across Massachusetts.”

An Andover resident, Zrike began his career in education as a fifth grade teacher in Andover Public Schools. Prior to this, he received education at Dartmouth College and attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

“Andover was an amazing place for me to start my career,” Zrike said. “I learned a lot from the people that I worked with. I’ve carried that experience with me since.”

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Andover Robotics Club Competes at State Championships

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