Posted September 22, 2010

FLOURTOWN – State Rep. Tim Briggs visited Mount St. Joseph Academy in Flourtown Sept. 17 and met with the school’s robotics team, the Firebirds.

Before presenting him with a team t-shirt Mary Elizabeth Entwistle, president of the Firebirds, and Hannah Farrell, vice president, acquainted the representative with the world of robotics by explaining the program and relating the team’s experience in the FIRST Robotics Competitions.

Briggs was especially interested in the Firebirds’ upcoming GirlPOWER (Preparing Outstanding Women Engineers through Robotics) event, which takes place Oct 9, when the Firebirds Robotics Team will host the area’s first-ever all female robotics competition.

Over the last few years, the Firebirds’ accomplishments have included winning the FIRST Robotics Regional Chairman’s Award and the Engineering Inspiration Award. In addition to the competitions, the team participates in several community service outreaches, including mentoring young students in five Camden, N.J., area Catholic Schools to teach them robotics and raising funds for the Philadelphia Heart Walk with an educational robot, which teaches the benefits of heart health. The team also sponsors a robotics team in Ghana, Africa.

For more information about the Firebirds’ GirlPOWER event, visit www.msjacad.org.