Who are we?
Centre County 4-H (CC4H) Robotics is a K-12 STEM organization and 4-H club focused on education, teamwork, and real-world innovation. CC4H Robotics believes that exposing a diverse group of students to real-world engineering challenges at an early age is critical in developing our next generation of innovators. Students participating in the club go way beyond classroom education in STEM into hands-on, real-world design, manufacturing, and programming and experience thrilling local and international robotics competitions like the FIRST Robotics Competition.
High school team Centre Punch at the 2024 Greater Pittsburgh Regional
Where have we been?
CC4H Robotics has grown in just a few years from a small team of high school students to more than 120 kids from fourth through twelfth grade. In recent years, our teams won awards at local and international competitions, including the FIRST Robotics Competition 2018 World Championship. Our 2023-24 competition season brought a record twelve competition teams across three divisions of FIRST Robotics to events across Pennsylvania and the northeast. Our teams had many wins both on the competition field and in judged awards, including our high school team, Centre Punch, captaining the #4 alliance at the Buckeye Regional in Cleveland and our middle school team, Centre Punch Soldiers, winning a qualifier and earning a trip to the Pennsylvania State FTC Championship. Beyond our competition season, we focused on team growth and outreach, including renewing partnerships with community organizations like Penn State, 4-H, and Discovery Space. Our students have shared their love of STEM with audiences in local schools, summer STEM camps, a local Girl Scouts troop, and at the 2024 Grange Fair.
High school students from CC4H Robotics Centre Punch competing at the 2024 Buckeye Regional, where we captained the #4 ranked alliance.
In addition to our growth and competitive success, CC4H Robotics continues to graduate students with the engineering, leadership, and professional skills to excel. Our recent graduates are working in hands-on trades and pursuing higher education at Penn State and other prestigious universities in programs including engineering, robotics, graphic design, and business. Other alumni are already making a difference in the workforce in fields like medicine, cybersecurity, and aerospace engineering.
Where are we going?
The 2024-25 offseason has brought continued growth to the club, and we plan to enter a record thirteen competition teams with more than 120 students participating. We are also supporting the launch of partner FIRST LEGO League teams in neighboring counties. We continue to draw students from many area schools, including an increase in students from rural and private schools across Centre County. We are also welcoming new volunteers to the team with expertise in business, engineering, and programming, as well as new community sponsors.