Robotics Team Competes in World Championship

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April 29, 2025
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Avery Slaughter || STAFF WRITER

The week before April break, 4410 ARC Lightning competed in the FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas. The team ended their season as quarterfinalists in the international competition.

Prior to this FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) season, none of the four Andover Robotics Club (ARC) teams had qualified for the world competition. The FIRST Championship, hosted annually, brings together teams from all across the globe to compete in one of four divisions. Throughout the three-day event, Lightning performed exceptionally well in the Jemison Division. Along with a personal high score of 427, they concluded multiple matches with scores in the top 0.12% worldwide. Lightning was also awarded the Second Place Control Award for their impressive programming.

“I think the team all feels that worlds has surpassed all our expectations,” sophomore Lightning member Jeremiah Chou said. “We went from not even knowing if we would make it to states, to being a first pick for playoffs at worlds and finishing with a winning record.”

Every year, fewer than five percent of FTC teams qualify for the FIRST Championship. Given the numerous milestones achieved at the competition, Lightning members expressed well-earned satisfaction and pride in both their performance and general progression as a team.

“I believe that any ranking at worlds would have really been a win for ARC,” Lightning sophomore Rohit Perugupalli said. “We hadn’t been there before […] as we progressed, we did become more and more confident, leading us to gain a very respectable position.”

Despite the hour difference between Andover and Houston, many AHS students were cheering on Lightning over the course of the competition. Several of Lightning’s matches occurred during H-Blocks, lunches, and after school hours, so supporters could watch them compete in real time.

“Seeing [Lightning] in their matches during H-Block was an incredibly proud experience because they’ve come so far,” sophomore Connor McGovern said. As the leader of 24256 ARC Sandstorm, AHS’s rookie team, he witnessed Lightning’s success throughout the year first-hand.

With plans to continue outreach for ARC into the summer, Lightning isn’t stopping with the school year. While the 2024-2025 FTC season concluded with the FIRST Championship, Lightning has no intention of slowing down.

“Now that we know how it feels to be at worlds, we are only going to push for more next year,” Chou said.

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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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Robotics Team Competes in World Championship

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