With school districts managing rising costs and tighter budgets, important programs face cuts or elimination. School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) is highlighting the importance of middle school and high school robotics programs with its support of the Half Hollow Hills Invitational. The postseason robotics competition will be held in the gymnasium at Half Hollow Hills High School West, located at 375 Wolf Hill Road on Saturday, November 15 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

School robotics programs immerse youngsters in the science of physics and the field of engineering. They provide an enjoyable, engaging learning environment and enhance problem solving skills, cooperation and teamwork. The Invitational is designed to showcase the benefits of robotics programs on students, schools and their communities. Residents, teachers and administrators from the Half Hollow Hills School District and other Long Island school districts are invited to attend.

"The competition is not just about the design and building of sophisticated robots. These students also develop maturity, professionalism, teamwork and mentoring skills that enrich their lives,” said SBPLI Board Chairman, Hans Zobel. “Many of our students develop an affinity for their science and math courses, and go on to study engineering, technology or science in college.”

Participating teams will be using the robots they built for the 2014 Long Island Regional

FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) competition, which was held at Hofstra University in March. At the event, students will program their robots, some weighing as much as 120 pounds, to compete on a 27-by-54-foot playing field with a truss suspended just over five feet above the floor, attempting to earn points by trying to score as many balls as possible into goals during a two-and-a-half-minute match. Additional points are earned by robots working together to score goals, and by throwing and catching balls over the truss.

“We also would like to invite other potential rookie teams to join us, work with veteran teams, and have the opportunity to drive a robot to give them a feel for the program which they would not otherwise have,” Mr. Zobel said.

Registration is still ongoing. For more information on the Half Hollow Hills Invitational, or to find out how to register a team for the competition, call Half Hollow Hills High School West at (631) 592-3200. For more information about SBPLI, visit www.sbpli.org.