While the dedicated volunteers at School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) are hard at work planning the first ever SBPLI Long Island Regional double header, the Half Hollow Hills High School FIRST® Robotics Competition team is ramping up for its Sixth Annual Half Hollow Hills (HHH) Invitational. This year’s event, the final event of the 2016-2017 FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Long Island season, will take place on Saturday, November 18 at the district’s west campus.

As one of many robotics programs supported by SBPLI, which aims to help immerse schools in the rapidly growing area of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education, the HHH Invitational is designed to showcase the benefits of robotics programs to students, schools, communities and local businesses.

During the event, students and coaches from 24 Long Island school districts will participate in an enjoyable and engaging learning environment that enhances problem-solving skills, cooperation and teamwork. Participating teams will compete under the rules and guidelines of the 2017 FIRST Robotics Competition challenge, dubbed FIRST STEAMWORKS™. During the Invitational, which mimics the tournament-style competition of the SBPLI Long Island Regional, two 3-team alliances will take to the playing field to complete a variety of tasks to score points and win the round, with the hopes of eventually advancing to eliminations and finals.

Residents, teachers, administrators and business leaders from the surrounding areas are invited to attend and discover first-hand the benefits that FIRST Robotics programs provide to students. This event is also the perfect opportunity for schools and organizations interested in starting a team to meet with SBPLI leaders and speak with participants to gather more information.

Following the Invitational, teams will start to prepare for the new season, which kicks-off on January 6, 2018 at Stony Brook University.

For more information on SBPLI or the FIRST Robotics Competition, or to become a sponsor, please visit www.sbpli-lifirst.org.